Resurrection
by mamaXunicorn
Summary: A father's sacrifice, a son's love, a second chance at life. An alternate ending to Return of the Jedi.
1. Luke - Part 1

**_A/N: I realize this is probably one hell of an overused trope in this fandom but I'm new here and this plot bunny would not leave me alone._**

* * *

All he knew was pain, blinding, white hot pain.

It cut it's it's way through the darkness that enveloped him.

He heard voices, a blur of sound with no distinct words.

His eyes felt like they were glued shut, the pressure in his head a vice grip.

When he could he forced his eyes open, just a slit and for a moment there was a piercing, blinding light and he shut them again, wincing against the pain.

It consumed him for a while longer and when it slowly started to fade, he heard the voice again. It sounded closer, louder but he couldn't make it out.

Slowly, almost agonizingly slow, he became more aware of everything. The pressure in his head, the burning of his chest with every breath, the sharp pain shooting from every nerve, even down to the limbs he knew no longer existed, and the voices, a constant sound that drew him back to consciousness.

He tried once more to open his eyes, determined to find the source of the voices.

A strange, shrill sound reached his ears and he winced against the light.

Every blink was agony against dry eyes.

Slowly the pain of the light began to fade but all he could see was blurry shadows in dimming light.

A more defined shadowed figure came into his view, a figure of a person leaning over him. The source of at least one of the voices.

It was still garbled but almost familiar.

He watched the figure move, at first just a shadow moving back and forth.

Then it started to take shape, a head and shoulders more defined. The head was constantly moving, the person moving in closer to him, occasionally there was an arm that rose in and out of view.

The first thing he noticed about the mysterious figure, once the dark shadows started fading to color, was that it appeared to be a man.

His eyes narrowed, forcing his sight. For a brief second the image came into sharp view. A young man with blonde hair and blue eyes - a young Jedi.

 _No._ He shut his eyes, forcing the image away and a garbled, strange sound reached his ears.

He damned that image, the foolish Jedi he had left behind many years ago.

"Father?"

He recognized the voice, it's tone familiar but the clarity of the words surprised him.

 _Father?_

He let the word process. An impossible word he had never once said, never once known.

"Can you hear me?"

He forced his eyes open again and felt his already sore, dry throat tighten at the blonde young man that stood before him.

As his vision cleared, he realized that while the figure bared a resemblance to Anakin Skywalker, he most certainly was not.

His face was rounder, his eyes kinder. He stared at him, trying to make sense of him.

"I think he's awake." Said the boy, turning his head, talking to someone out of his view. Then he looked back to him, a frown set firmly on his lips.

"He's screaming." Another unfamiliar voice came from his right side.

He then realized the constant shrill ringing in his ears was coming from his own throat. The only sound he could make in response to what he felt.

The boy's brow furrowed. "He must be in agony."

"It's a miracle he's even alive."

The boy sighed. "Increase his pain medication." He instructed and then he was touching the armor on his chest.

He could barely feel it past the pain but the gentle, caring touch broke through.

"He needs to sleep."

Before he knew it, and though he fought it, the boy was fading back to the shadows, his voice slipping away. Then there was nothing but black.

* * *

When he awoke next, he first became aware of sound, the constant high pitched beep of machinery, and the deep, shallow hiss of his breathing.

There was pain, as there always was, but it didn't blind him as it had before.

His eyes opened and the room slowly came into view.

He could not see much, just a blank gray wall ahead of him, the edge of the bed he was in and a strangely familiar golden droid off in the corner of the room.

He attempted movement, first trying to lift his head. At once the room spun, his vision blurring and he snapped his eyes closed as a wave of nausea rolled over him.

Once it passed, he tried again, a little slower. He was barely able to lift his head, the muscles in his neck and shoulders straining. Finally he lowered his head back down, a wave of frustration and anger pulsing through him.

He opened his eyes again and as the room came into view, one of the first things he noticed was the droid was now at full attention and staring directly at him. Though droids could not portray emotion, this droid certainly did it's best at looking frightened.

Forgetting about trying to move his head again, he focused on other parts of his body and realized with a surge of panic that there was a strong weight on his chest.

He felt trapped, paralyzed and rebelled against his restraints. His torso pushed up, his shoulders and back straining with every move.

"Oh my. Oh dear."

The droid finally spoke and it's robotic voice was almost painfully familiar.

He continued to struggle, something was pinning his down and he refused to let it. He growled in rage, howled in pain at every movement.

"Oh he's awake! Oh dear! Oh...Master Luke? Master Luke, I require your assistance in the medbay. Yes right now if you please, Master Luke."

The familiarity of the droid's frantic cries caused him to falter and then a burning pain ripped through his entire body.

He shuddered against it and closed his eyes tightly.

Slowly the sharpness of the pain faded to the dull ache of constant pain he was used to but his body was now exhausted.

Despite the rage still swarming his mind, he no longer fought his restraints.

He lay in darkness, keeping his eyes closed, listening to the grating, annoying sound of beeping machines and the droid muttering to itself.

Not too much later, there was a small sudden hissing sound.

"Master Luke!" Cried the droid in relief.

"What's going on?" A familiar voice asked, a voice that sent a peculiar warmth and peace through him. The rage that had been dwelling, pulsing through him began to fade.

He opened his eyes and looked toward the direction of the voice that could cause such a reaction.

His vision was a little cloudy but he could make out the figures of the droid and a blonde young man.

"He is awake, Master Luke," said the droid. "I believe he was trying to escape."

As the boy approached him, memories suddenly flooded his mind, and he knew who they were.

The X-Wing pilot who took down the death star, the boy who stood in front of Palpatine and pledged himself to be a great Jedi, the boy whose life he saved, the boy who saved his life in return.

Luke Skywalker, his _son._

And the droid, C-3PO, the droid Anakin Skywalker had built as a youngling.

"Father?" Luke stood over him, peering down at him in concern.

He remembered lying on the floor of the Death Star II, in the worst pain since Mustafar, yet somehow feeling the most at peace as the boy removed his helmet.

The first time since Mustafar that he saw without the haze of his helmet visor, and it was the face of his son, of Padmé's son, calling him Father and begging him to live.

The first time since Mustafar he heard without a fog, and it was his son's voice.

He had expected to die on that ship and had wanted to. Anakin had died a long time ago and Vader was defeated with his decision to save Luke.

Yet there he was, still alive. He didn't remember anything past saying goodbye to Luke but his son must have somehow saved his life. Somehow rebuilt the suit he had destroyed in their lightsaber battle.

His mind was in conflict with itself as it hadn't been since just before Anakin's fall to the Dark Side.

The light side of the force, the part of him that was still Anakin, came to the surface in the presence of Luke.

"I don't know, Threepio," Luke said skeptically, "he looks the same to me."

"I swear to you, Master Luke, he was awake and he was very, very angry. He was going to attack at any second!"

The droids antics almost made him laugh if he could. He despised thinking of his time as Anakin but somehow Threepio and his near constant anxiety stirred bittersweet memories of a time long lost.

Luke rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder at the droid. "His vitals are stabilized, he's not moving, Threepio. Besides, in his state, I doubt he could get up even if he tried."

Luke's words were true and he knew in that moment that he was not restrained by force but by his own disabilities.

Another flood of boiling rage swept through him at the thought. _Why_ was he forever cursed to live this way? As if living in the suit wasn't bad enough now he could not even move.

Luke had done quite a good amount of damage to him. The boy was still clearly under trained but talented. He received some training, that much was obvious, and the boy carried Anakin's own lightsaber.

The lightsaber he had no doubt received from his old master. Had Obi-Wan trained him as well? No, he remembered with a strangely odd pang, Obi-Wan had perished on the Death Star.

Luke called himself a Jedi and had received training, no doubt from someone in the old order. Someone who had survived.

However much he disapproved of the Jedi Order, he was proud of the man his son had become. Luke was gentle hearted but strong willed and talented in the Force. The best of Padmé. The parts of Anakin he thought were weak but made Luke strong.

"Father?" Luke prodded again, pulling him out of his memories.

He wished to speak but any attempt was thwarted by his burning throat.

"You see? He's out cold. You have nothing to worry about, Threepio." Luke assured the droid and the droid let out a small sigh of worry.

"Besides, he wouldn't hurt you anyway."

Luke said it with such conviction and looked down at him with such love that he almost believed it himself.

Truth was, when he had awoken, he was so full of rage, if he were able to stand or walk he wasn't sure what he would have done to anyone in his way. Especially a droid that meant nothing to Vader. The droid meant something to Anakin...but he was no longer Anakin.

"Master Luke…."

"Don't say it, Threepio. I've heard it enough from Leia and Han."

 _Leia._

His chest constricted as he suddenly remembered his other child.

The princess of Alderaan who had bravely stood up to him and denied any involvement with the rebel plan to destroy the Death Star. The young woman who he tried to torture.

Padmé's daughter.

His hand twitched at his side, his rage building again, this time at his own shame and guilt.

How could he not have known? How could he not have sensed her?

"He is not a Sith Lord anymore."

"Oh...uh...Master Luke…"

He didn't realize he had grabbed Luke's hand until the boy froze, gasped and turned back to him with widened eyes.

"I told you!" Threepio cried. "He is awake and he's going to.."

"Hush Threepio!" Luke snapped at him and Threepio let out another worried beep but didn't speak further.

All he knew was that Luke had started to turn away from him and he didn't want him to leave.

He saw movement out of the bottom of his visor, Luke moving to cover his gloved hand with his own, clasping it between his hands.

He couldn't feel it. He hadn't felt anything in that hand since Dooku and nothing in any other since Mustafar.

He hadn't felt any human touch since…

Since Luke, he suddenly realized. He remembered darkness and pain but also Luke cradling his head in his lap. Luke's body heat, the soft cushion of flesh against his skull.

"Father?" Luke was leaning in toward him again. "Can you hear me?"

He still couldn't get his damn voice processor to work with what remained of his vocal cords but he sent a squeeze to his prosthetic and hoped Luke felt it.

Luke glanced down and then smiled and if he had any control over his own breathing it would have been stolen.

Padmé's smile. He had Padmé's golden smile. The one that spoke to and brightened his broken soul.

Anakin Skywalker's blue eyes looked back up at him, filled with hope.

The boy was odd. He remembered their first encounter, when he had told Luke the truth, when he had cut off his hand. He remembered the fear, disgust and the anger that filled those same eyes.

Then those eyes defied Palpatine. Those eyes fought him and then fought for him.

Why did Luke save him? Why did Luke care?

"So, you're probably wondering where you are."

He didn't care so much about the location but rather why the reason he was saved at all.

Luke smiled sheepishly. "We're on Endor, I brought you here after the fall of the Empire."

Luke eyed him warily. What sort of reaction did he expect?

He suspected as soon as both he and Palpatine died there would be no leg for the Empire to stand on. He had always planned on somehow killing Palpatine but planned on taking his place, to rule the galaxy with Luke at his side.

Now he was too exhausted to care either way. He felt nothing when the Jedi fell and he felt nothing now with the fall of the Empire.

Luke was right about one thing- he was not a Sith Lord anymore. Darth Vader was dead, defeated by the light of his son and the light that remained inside of him.

"They thought you wouldn't make it. Some people thought we shouldn't even try to save you."

Luke bowed his head and at his dejection, he surmised one of those people must have been Leia.

"But I had to." Luke's brow furrowed, his lips setting in a firm line as he lifted his head. "No one else saw what I saw. I looked into your eyes and saw Anakin Skywalker come back to life."

He would have groaned if he could. He wasn't sure of who or what he was but he knew he was no longer that Jedi.

"I just want you to know…." Luke continued. "That I forgive you. For this." He lifted his right gloved hand and his prosthetic fingers curled slowly before his arm fell back to his side. "And for what Vader did." He paused for a moment, mulling over his words. "What you did as Vader." He corrected himself quietly. "I've felt the dark side of the force, for more minutes only." He shuddered. "I cannot imagine what surrendering to it for over twenty years must have done to your mind."

He hardly remembered himself, no moments, just emotions. The greed for power, anger, pain, driving his life forward. He hardly remembered anything from his life before Vader, except the tiny flashes of light that was Padmé. He remembered the moment he decided to become Vader but the darkness that overcame him had been a constant feeling and he had known nothing else for over twenty years.

His tie to the dark side had snapped like a twig with his decision to save Luke. The light side of the force overwhelmed him as he lay dying in his son's arms.

His life now remained an odd balance between the two. He still could feel the pull of the darkness but there was also the light, coming to him in the form of the love for his son and the love, acceptance and forgiveness Luke gave him.

"It's a powerful force you couldn't resist but I know there is still good in you."

He was suddenly vividly reminded of Padmé. She had always believed the best of him, always loved him. Luke was very much like his mother. He wished he could be the person they both deserved. Yet, as he lay there, broken in body and mind, he knew he never could be and wondered again why Luke had bothered to save him.

* * *

It was days before he even attempted to speak. Luke visited him every day and there were the daily visits from a nurse, who stopped in just to check his vitals. Then there was Threepio, who had been apparently forced to guard his room against his will. He was a protocol droid and Anakin had designed him to obey any orders from his masters but this was one duty he was reluctant to perform.

He always stood near motionless in the corner, keeping bright eyes on him.

He knew Obi-Wan must have wiped the droids memory, both his and ArToo's, to erase any memory of Anakin Skywalker.

He would have done the same had he gotten hold of the droids as Vader.

Part of him wished Threepio remembered him. Anakin had been very attached to his droids. He wondered what Threepio would think of his creator now.

Apart from Luke, Threepio and one or two nurses, he received no other company. He did not expect it, not from anyone, least of all from Leia.

Luke talked about everything, from what was happening in rebuilding the Republic to Leia and her relationship with that smuggler.

It was no wonder Leia hated him. He was her greatest enemy and he distinctly remembered freezing that Han Solo in carbonite and delivering him to Jabba. Leia had clearly cared deeply for him, sharing a passionate kiss with him as the Storm Troopers pulled him away.

He hadn't cared about it then. He still didn't care about Solo but Leia….

He didn't blame her for not visiting but he longed to see her. His memories of her were cloudy at best, ruined by associating her as the enemy Princess and not his daughter.

Leia Organa of Alderaan.

Bail Organa had taken his daughter and claimed her as his own.

Conflicting thoughts raged in his head. Anger and hatred that a Republic Senator had taken his daughter. Yet, the softer part of him that thanked the Force she didn't end up as an orphan.

He wondered who raised Luke, if his son bore the name of Skywalker.

Certainly Obi-Wan was not foolish enough to raise him himself and keep the name that connected him to his son.

All of these questions about the lives of his children led back to one big question that gnawed at his mind every day...what truly happened to Padmé? Palpatine said he had killed her in his anger and he assumed his child had died with her. He hadn't asked, he refused to ask.

Clearly, Palpatine had lied yet he knew Padmé no longer lived. He would sense it, sense her and his children would have been with her.

How long she lived for he couldn't say but just long enough to name both of them.

Leia, the little girl he had imagined growing safely inside her mother.

Luke, the boy that Padmé so desired.

" _Imagine, Ani, a little boy...just like you."_

" _A little boy just like me is not a good thing to be." He joked and Padmé nudged him._

" _Stop it." She laughed and then ran her hand lovingly over her growing belly. "He'll be perfect."_

He was perfect, he marvelled as he watched Luke speak. He was strong, kind, intelligent…. everything Anakin Skywalker failed to be.

Padmé never knew the man her son grew up to be and it was _his_ fault.

It was all his fault.

He lost everything, his wife, his children - yes, they still lived but he lost any chance of a good relationship with them - his entire life. He once blamed Obi-Wan and the Jedi but he knew, now that the darkness that clouded his mind for over twenty years started to fade, that it was only his choices, his fear and hate and anger that led him down the path he led.

Luke had stopped talking. He realized only when he no longer heard the comforting sound of his voice.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts to find Luke watching him in concern.

"Are you alright, Father? Are you in pain?"

He realized then that there were strange sounds erupting from him. Groans of anguish, though not of physical pain.

He was in near constant agony but he learned how to ignore it most of the time. No, it was the dreadful guilt, the sting of the loss of his family, that tortured him now.

A family he always wanted, a family he could have had, a family the Jedi forbid…

Yet, Obi-Wan knew Luke. Obi-Wan had given Luke Anakin's 'saber. How involved was Obi-Wan in Luke's life? Questions he wished he could ask his son but his damaged body disallowed.

Luke must have mistaken his anger and mental anguish for physical pain, for he frowned and leaned over to one of the machines beside him.

"Don't worry, this will help."

He didn't want _help_ , not the kind that medicine would offer but as the physical pain slowly faded, so did his mind and the last thing he saw was Luke's face hanging over him as he once again fell to his dreams.


	2. Luke - Part 2

It had been an infuriatingly long week of incredibly slow recovery before he was able to speak.

He hadn't known it, not until Luke showed up. He had no reason to ever try speaking to anyone else.

Threepio was in his usual spot and somehow the droid's presence was comforting to him, although the droid was, as usual, not at all comforted by him.

He moaned in worry every time he made any attempt at movement. Any attempt at conversation with the droid would prove futile. Part of him, the darker side of him, wanted to try to and see what would happen if he did. A tiny flick of his wrist, moving his head, movements that had slowly been becoming less painful, but actions that would send the droid into an anxiety-driven fit, no doubt. It would prove for amusement on his end at least. Another part of him, a part he thought long lost but was steadily growing larger with each passing day, told him not to torture the droid he had once created and loved, and certainly not for a reason such as petty amusement.

"Good Morning, Master Luke." Threepio chirped happily as the doors hissed open.

He felt his spirit lifting as soon as Luke's smiling face walked in the door. Somehow, every day he convinced himself that Luke would see sense and leave him there to die alone.

Yet without fail Luke was always there. Sometimes he popped in a few times for minutes only on busier days and other times he stayed for hours. He looked forward to those days the most.

Luke was a distraction, from the pain, from the darkness. He had missed over twenty years of his son's life and those few hours a day provided a glimpse into who Luke was and who he was becoming.

"Heya, Threepio." Luke greeted with a grin and then tugged at his clothing.

It was only then that he realized how Luke was dressed.

"What do you think? They were found in the old Jedi temple on Coruscant. I think they were my father's."

They were indeed. One of Anakin Skywalker's old Jedi robes, he recognized them almost immediately.

"Oh, they do look great on you, Master Luke."

Luke beamed with pride and for a second he saw nothing but the image of young Anakin Skywalker, a confident young man prepared to take on the universe.

The uniform looked it's age, it's colors faded, riddled with holes and scorch marks from the last time he had worn it, retired when he returned for the last time from the Clone Wars. The old republic symbol was still on the shoulder pads.

His 'saber even sat in it's hilt on Luke's hip.

He expected the flood of rage he always felt when he thought of Anakin Skywalker but to his great surprise he only felt a wistful sadness and pride for his son. He wondered if that was how Obi-Wan had felt towards Anakin.

The rage crept up on him again at the thought of Obi-Wan and pushed that thought aside. Obi-Wan hadn't _cared_ for anyone, least of all him.

His anger heightened further as he was reminded of the strict Jedi code. Luke possessed great skill and would have been a talented Jedi, but Luke was far too loving to be a Jedi. He also would not have been allowed to be his master, to have Luke as his padawan.

He must have made some sort of noise because Luke suddenly looked in his direction and Threepio jumped.

Luke flashed a smile. "You're awake. Good."

He walked over to his side and immediately grabbed a hold of his hand. Because he could not yet speak it was their way of communicating, he could acknowledge he heard Luke by squeezing hand.

Luke's face had softened, his eyes still shining with pride but also looking more hesitant. "I'm right aren't I? These are yours?"

He squeezed Luke's hand once.

 _Yes._

"I hope you don't mind. I know seeing them must bring back bad memories for you but I saw them and I knew...I just got this feeling, I know it was the Force connecting us. I thought it would be perfect for today."

He paused for a long moment. "I don't know if I told you but I plan on rebuilding the Jedi Order. I'm the last one, the last Jedi…" he looked off distantly in a contemplative silence. Then he shook his head and shrugged, looking back at him. "At least that's what Master Yoda told me."

So it had been Master Yoda that trained him. He knew there was something familiar about Luke's skills that were not Obi-Wan's.

"It is not going to be like it was." Luke explained hastily. "Or at least I'm going to try and make it different and I have to believe there are other beings out there that can also use the Force. Han thinks it's all foolishness but he doesn't know, he can't feel it like I can." His brow furrowed. "You still feel it, too, don't you?"

He squeezed Luke's hand again and Luke's lips twitched up and he leaned in closer.

"Father, I only know a little of what made you turn to the Dark Side. The Jedi won't be what you knew them as, what you once were. It will be different, it will be great."

He once cursed everything the Jedi were but the Jedi were dead. All that remained was Luke and he was hardly trained and clearly didn't hold to the beliefs of the old Jedi order. He embraced family, embraced love and attachment.

He wasn't sure the Jedi could be restored but watching Luke, his young face set in hopeful determination, he knew if anyone could rebuild and reform the Jedi it would be Luke.

"I know you probably don't approve but I'll show you what the Jedi can really be."

"Luke,"

Luke's eyes slowly widened as a version of his name left his voice modulator.

He hadn't realized he actually spoke until he saw Luke's expression, the sound of the voice was unfamiliar. Whoever had designed this new suit had clearly taken the design of his old one but fitted it to be new and perhaps not so menacing as Vader had been.

"Father?" Luke grabbed his hand in both of his and raising his brow expectantly.

He tried again and it hurt but it was more clear. "Luke, my son…"

Luke's smile widened. "You're speaking!" He looked over his shoulder in excitement. "He's speaking!"

"Oh!" Threepio uttered in surprise. "Oh, my, that is...wonderful." His tone suggested he thought it was anything but.

Luke looked back at him, his smile still on. "How do you feel?"

Of course that would be the first question Luke asked.

Luke's smile faded as he fell silent. "Are you in pain?"

He was but it didn't matter, not then. Truth was he had been silent for so long he didn't know what to say or even how to answer the question he didn't want to answer.

"No." he said quickly as Luke once leaned over to adjust his medication. Luke froze and glanced back at him quizzically.

"Leave it." He still found it a challenge to speak, much to his frustration.

Luke nodded, his lips pressing in a small smile as he sat back down.

Luke also fell silent after that. His young face was eager but conflicted, no doubt a million possible questions running through his mind. It seemed now they were able to actually communicate, it wasn't so easy to do so.

A brief look of alarm flickered over Luke's face and he looked quickly to the doors and then frowned as he turned back to him.

"I wish I could stay." Luke said suddenly. "I have to go….I'm going to meet with the New Senate about proposing the New Order. Leia is part of the committee but she'd kill me if I were late." He laughed quietly and as always his heart ached at the mention of Leia.

"I didn't expect you to...to be speaking. I always hoped you would get there but I didn't think...there's so much to talk about."

"Yes." He agreed, speaking aloud but also squeezed Luke's hand out of habit.

"There will be time for that later." He managed to get out and was partly relieved Luke was leaving. It hurt to speak and he wasn't sure If he was emotionally ready to have the conversations Luke wanted to have. "Go."

He couldn't have put emotions into the modulator if he wanted to but he hoped at least it didn't sound so threatening to Luke's ears as it did to his own.

Luke hesitated for a moment but then a small smile crossed his lips and he nodded. "I'll be back later." He vowed and his hand moved to his lightsaber as he straightened up. An action Anakin had done countless times as a Jedi.

Luke deserved his own saber, as every new Jedi Knight did, but for now, Anakin's lightsaber would do. A legacy, something good he could actually pass down to his son.

"Luke," he called out to him as his son began to turn away.

Luke looked back at him, brow raised. "Father?"

"You've done well, my son."

It was an odd feeling but he knew he didn't speak as Vader, as he wanted Luke to join him on the Dark Side. He was speaking from whatever part of Anakin still existed and he hoped Luke knew that too.

Luke stared at him for a moment, his hand twitched his lightsaber and Padmé's grin once again lit up his face.

He said nothing but spun around quickly on his heels, nearly crashing into Threepio as he dashed toward the door.

Luke Skywalker left the room, the proud son of Jedi Anakin Skywalker.

"Wish me luck!" he called as the door hissed closed behind him.

He knew if Luke was anything like Padmé, he would sway the senate in his favor.

Luck was all he needed, for his skill would surely be on his side.

"Good luck Master Luke!" Threepio called after him with a wave.

Threepio remained facing towards the doors and he watched him in silence for a few long minutes. His earlier curiosity to test the droid's reaction to him was now too hard for him to resist. If he did not have the strength to yet speak to Luke, perhaps he could try on Threepio.

"Hello Threepio."

The droid yelped and whirled toward him. He always had the same expression but somehow he looked more surprised than usual.

"Oh! You're speaking to me and you know my name. This cannot be good."

"I know everything about you."

"Oh dear." Threepio nervously between him and the door and he realized how menacing that sounded.

"Do you remember me?"

Do you remember _Anakin?_

"I certainly know who you are." The droid confirmed, with a bit of fear and hostility. "I doubt there is a being, living or droid who does not."

He knew it was a futile question. A droid's memory could not be returned once it was wiped. His first creation would now only see him as the enemy. The thought left an odd feeling of emptiness inside him.

"I will not harm you, Threepio."

"Oh." Threepio sounded surprise but not any less comforted. "That is good to know."

He knew there was nothing he could do to convince him so he fell back into silence. Threepio was none the more comforted and neither was he.

* * *

Luke had returned later as promised.

He was awoken out of a rest when the doors hissed open. The nurses had been in and out a few times a day but he felt a small shift in the force as he had been learning to recognize when his son was near.

Luke looked exhausted, weary and he was no longer dressed in Anakin's robes.

He could see the dejection on his face as soon as he opened his eyes.

"I take it the meeting did not go well."

Luke paused, startled by his voice. He too had forgotten for a moment he could speak again.

Then Luke sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair.

"They can't see what I'm trying to do! Leia was on my side but there was only so much she can do. They won't even give me a chance!"

Luke paced across the small room and his constant movement was enough to make him dizzy.

There was something so familiar about Luke's words, Luke's frustration with the senate, and it caused an odd sinking feeling in him.

Luke had resisted the Dark Side once before but if he was not careful he could fall down the same path that he had been led down.

"You must keep trying, son." He urged quietly.

"You would think they would want the Jedi back!" Luke said in exasperation.

"The relationship between then Jedi and the senate has always complicated to say the very least."

Luke let out another sigh and turned to face him with a frown.

"You must convince them." He hoped Luke would have better luck than he did. Luke didn't have _the Chosen One_ hanging over his head.

"I'm not sure how to do that." Luke answered, throwing himself into the chair beside his bed. "I didn't finish my training with Master Yoda."He admitted, his lips turning up in a small, sheepish smile. "I sensed Leia and Han were in danger, and he warned me against going to find them before my training was complete but I couldn't just let them get hurt! He didn't like that."

"Well, it appears some things never change." He muttered bitterly.

Luke furrowed his brow with a frown. "What?"

"The Jedi Order I knew forbid personal attachments. Master Yoda, as you are well aware, is one of the oldest Jedi and believes firmly in that ideal."

Luke's eyes widened and he leaned in closer.

"Forbid? How could they forbid emotions?"

"Decades upon decades of Masters training their young Padawans not to."

Luke slowly sat back, a pensive look on his face. "Obi-Wan was your master wasn't he?"

"Yes."

"I dont understand," Luke leaned forward again, "Obi-Wan seemed to care about you. He always spoke kindly of you, well, of Anakin."

"He wanted to sway you, son. Away from me."

Luke's frown deepened. "I don't believe that."

"Believe what you will, my old master certainly hadn't the heart."

Luke's brow pressed together and he was suddenly struck by how much he resembled Padmé.

He shook his head again stubbornly. "No, that can't be right. Old Ben was one of the kindest men I ever knew."

"Old Ben?" He wondered in surprise. Of course it would make sense that Obi-Wan would change his name to remain out of sight but to have such a personal nickname from Luke, he had to be close to him.

"Tell me Luke, did he raise you?

"What? No...no he didn't. I was raised by my aunt and uncle, Beru and Owen"

"On Tatooine?" That actually got his head to turn towards Luke and for a moment his head spun.

"Yes, why?"

He waited for his vision to clear. "I...am from Tatooine." He finally bit out. He hadn't thought about that sand-ridden hell of a planet in years and a slow rage burned inside him that his son was forced to grow up there too.

"I know." Luke said with a small, sad smile. "They didn't talk about you much. Every time I tried they only told me the barest amount of information."

"It was clever, to bring you there. A place I dare not return to."

Luke chewed on his bottom lip for a long moment, a clear debate raging in his head.

Finally, he asked. "What happened between you and Obi-Wan?"

He knew as soon as the boy had mentioned Obi-Wan earlier, that particular question was not too far behind. He hated thinking about it and didn't want to talk about it but felt Luke at least deserved the truth. "The Jedi stifled me, Luke. Restricted my power, my emotions. I saw the flaws in the Jedi, that everyone else refused to see, and Obi-Wan was the very manifestation of all they stood for."

Luke frowned and slowly sat back. As he observed his son's behavior he realized how malicious his voice must have sounded. He could not seem to help it when it came to talking about his old master.

He paused, forcing himself to calm down. "He didn't listen to me, he wouldn't. Nobody would. No one except Chancellor Palpatine."

Luke's eyes widened in sudden realization. "Yes, Luke, he manipulated me, took advantage of my anger and resentment toward the Jedi and used it against them. He told me what I wanted to hear, let me believe the Dark Side of the force could satisfy the needs the Jedi were not meeting. With his death I realize the hold he had on me, how it had brainwashed me. I allowed it to convince me the Jedi, and Obi-Wan, were evil because it's the only thing that felt right to me at the time. I...cannot for certain tell you what I believe in now but I still do not agree with the Jedi principles. You must understand something Luke, I may no longer be a sith but I am no Jedi."

"I know that." Luke nodded solemnly. "You cannot be what you once were but you _are_ Anakin Skywalker. I looked into your eyes and saw the humanity, your love and your pain. It was Anakin who broke through the darkness and saved my life and it was the life of my father that I chose to save."

"Perhaps you shouldn't have." His voice was low, despondent.

"Don't say that," Luke shook his head and reached out to place his hand over his. "You're here for a reason…"

"Yes, son, that reason being your insistence on saving a life that maybe wasn't meant to be spared." The volume of his voice rose with every word. He caught the flames of anger trying to roar to life and consume him and forced it back down, quieting his voice. "You are like your mother in that way, compassionate to a fault."

Luke blinked, clearly been thrown at the sudden mention of his mother, then his eyes widened and a soft smile crossed his lips. "My mother?"

"Yes, she always believed in me, believed in the good of me, the good in people."

Luke's smile grew sad. "She sounds wonderful."

"She was." His heart ached, burned at the memory of Padmé. He hadn't thought about her in many years, refused to let his mind go to her, and what he had done. With the knowledge of the existence of Luke and Leia, and how similar his children were to her, her memory came flooding back to him in heart clenching waves.

Luke seemed to be hanging on to every word he said about her. Luke and Leia were separated, Luke had grown up on Tatooine, Leia as the Organa's daughter, which led him to a devastating conclusion.

"You never knew her?"

Luke frowned and shook his head. "No, I lived with Uncle Owen for my entire life. They said she died when I was born," he scoffed quietly, bitterly, "Never told me about Leia. I mean, I can understand why but still…" He sighed heavily. "I feel like I was trapped on that planet and my whole life was kept a secret from me."

"They never told you about her?" Red flashes of anger burned before him before he realized with a sobering thought, his marriage to Padmé had been a secret. They only met Padmé once before when they came to Tatooine. They hadn't known her and unless Obi-Wan and told them they wouldn't have known she was his mother.

Luke shook his head again. "However little they spoke about you they spoke about her even less. I think she was a queen, is that right?"

He felt a small relief Luke knew that much but he hated the fact Luke did not know her at all.

"Queen Padmé Amidala, yes. A queen for two terms and then a senator for the republic. She did great things, Luke, she was a woman like no other but forgotten in Imperial rule."

A flurry of different emotions crossed Luke's face as he processed all the new information. Joy, at hearing about the good his mother had done and getting to know more about her, wistfulness at the fact he never knew her himself and could never know her. His brow pressed together, a clear question on his mind and he waited for him to ask it.

"Did she know?" Luke asked quietly, slowly looking over to him, "That you had turned to the Dark Side?"

He knew it was coming but he was not prepared for the flood of emotions he had long locked away about that time. The anger that fueled him, the betrayal from those he thought were his friends, the fear of losing her and the despair of having lost her. All of it came together inside him now as the memories flashed quickly before him.

"Those last few months before your birth were not good for me." Looking back at it, he knew Padmé could sense the changes in him and when she faces him on Mustafar, begging him to turn away…. "Yes...yes she knew, at the end."

Luke said nothing but frowned deeply and dropped his head, staring at his lap.

"You should have known her." His hands slowly curled up, the pressure in his chest intensifying. "She should have been saved."

He shut his eyes, forcing angry tears away as harsh memories clouded his vision.

" _Anakin, you're breaking my heart."_

"She's the one that deserves life, she's the one that deserves you."

" _Stop now. Come back, I love you."_

He could feel his heart pounding, the machinery that kept it besting struggling to keep up with the emotions pulsing through his veins.

His lungs burned from misuse, trying to grasp for deep breaths that wouldn't come.

He shook, rage, shame, disgust flashing white and hot through him.

"What are you doing? What's happening?" Luke's panicked voice filtered in through the dark haze that threatened to take him over.

He grasped on tight to Luke's light, reaching out to him.

 _Father?_ The voice was crisp, clear, warm and bright, ringing inside his head with an air of wonder.

He held tighter onto Luke's presence, calling out to him and the light intensified.

 _Don't let it consume you. Resist the darkness, I know you can do it, I've seen you do it. Come back to me Father, come back._

Luke's words, mirroring his mother's from that night so long ago, called him from the darkness, reached him in ways Padmé hadn't been able to that night, a way he didn't allow her to.

He stopped struggling and let Luke's bright presence in the force guide him back.

His heart rate slowly returned to normal, the pain in his chest became less with every automatic hiss of the respiratory system of the suit.

He waited until the storm had passed, holding onto Luke's calming presence.

He slowly became aware of himself again, letting the dark emotions settle in the pit of his stomach, still there but hidden for now.

He tried opening his eyes but found his eyelids heavy from exhaustion. His damaged body was not used to that much exertion.

He lay in silence for a while, he wasn't certain how long but he knew Luke hadn't left. He could still feel him, both physically, Luke's hand on his chest, and his warmth in his mind.

He finally was able to open his eyes and slowly turned his head to where Luke sat. Luke was on the edge of his chair, pressed against the side of the bed, one hand on his chest, the other holding his hand, his eyes full of concern, confusion and awe.

"Forgive me, son…" he said slowly. "I appear to have lost control."

"Everything in the room started shaking."

He almost laughed bitterly, he hadn't had a tantrum of the Force since he was a youngling just learning how to control his skills, not of that magnitude.

"I saw...I felt…" Luke continued… "I was in your mind, I felt what you were feeling, I heard you calling out to me in my mind. How…" Luke shook his head.

"Most Force sensitive beings have telepathic abilities. I have such an ability and as my son so do you, our familial bond strengthening that connection even further."

"Telepathic?" Luke's eyes widened. "Is that why I could sense when Leia and Han were in danger?"

"You and Leia are connected as we are. Your bond to her is strong even if you didn't know it."

"Wow." Luke murmured in awe.

"Your talents are strong, Luke, but you are undertrained. Did Yoda not explain this to you?"

"Well I left, like I said. Master Yoda taught me a lot but he's gone now and so is Obi-Wan," he sighed, "and there is still so much for me to learn."

He was grateful that Obi-Wan was no longer around to teach him, and Yoda was hardly better. Luke would have to teach himself, a challenge Luke would have to face.

"You will learn in time, my son. You just need patience and determination."

Luke nodded, the corners of his lips pulling up in a half smile. "Patience I was never really good at."

"Neither was I."

Luke glanced back at him and his smile widened and then he laughed, no doubt picturing a young Anakin Skywalker.

He felt that strange wistfulness again, remembering all the times his master had ordered patience from him, often with a resigned sigh.

Luke was connecting himself to his father, discovering their shared traits lied in more than their midichlorian count.

Luke shared a lot of traits with his mother, but he shared a lot with Anakin too.

"You were wrong, Father." Luke said, his smile fading into something more serious. "You said it was my mother who deserved to be saved. You were wrong, it was both of you. She should be here with us...and Leia."

For a moment Luke's face twisted up in pain and dejection and he was painfully reminded of all the damage he had done to his family.

All he had wanted to do was save them, save her, make the universe the best place it could be for them. Instead his children grew up without him, without each other, without Padmé and in a universe where he worked to destroy them.

His own pain was only magnified by that of Luke's. The flames of anger began to flicker back to life and drew back Luke's attention to him.

"What's done is done, all we can do now is move forward."

 _Easier said than done, my son._

For as long as he lived he would hold onto the guilt and shame over the destruction of his family at his own hands.

He hardly could think of the alternative, if he had never pledged himself to the Dark Side.

What would they have done? Would he have remained a Jedi, having to hide the children and the truth of their parentage from the Jedi Order? Would they all have to go into hiding? Would Palpatine have even succeeded without his help?

Multiple different possibilities flashed past his vision, all of then impossibilities and useless to fret upon.

They were in the here and now,Irving with the consequences of his actions.

Luke thought he had been doing him a favor, saving his life but death would have been a relief. Instead, he was forced to live in a world he had helped create, a world where many people, including his children, had suffered and now he suffered too.

"You must be tired."

Luke's voice cut through his dark cloud of self loathing and he refocused his vision on his son.

Luke wore a half smile. "I know I am." He fell back against the chair. "It's been a long day. I think we both could use some rest."

"Yes," he agreed, suddenly feeling his own exhaustion, "go and rest, Luke."

"It was good to speak with you today." Luke said sincerely and with a smile. "I've learned so much but there's so much more I want to know. Would you tell me? About my mother? About the Force?"

"Are you certain you want to ask _me_ about the Force?"

"Yes." Luke nodded with certainty. "You may have been a Sith but you were trained as a Jedi. You were known as one of the greatest."

"Known by who?" Everyone he knew in the Order always critiqued his way of handling situations. They refused to allow him a seat on the council, clearly, in his eyes, they had not thought that highly of him.

"I don't know, everyone I guess. The great Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. That's what I've always heard."

"Whether that is true or not, I am no longer that man. I am not a Jedi and I will not become one again, even for you, my son. I will tell you what I know of the ways of the Force if that is what you want but it will be up to you to decide what you do with that information."

Luke frowned. "I know you must be in conflict. I know the dark side held you for many years but I trust you also know enough of the light to teach me."

"Luke…"

Luke shook his head. "We will discuss it another time." He slowly stood up and smiled tiredly. "For now, we rest."

Luke was still holding onto his hand. He turned his head down, his brow furrowing in concentration as he stared at their hands.

He wondered what Luke was doing when he was suddenly struck by such an overwhelming feeling of love and a strangled gasp left his throat at the unfamiliar feeling.

Luke's face lit up in a smile and he lifted his head to look at him, proud of his newly acquired skill, and eyes shining in genuine affection.

Not for the first time and certainly not for the last, he found himself in surprise of everything Luke was.

"Goodnight, Father. Sleep well. I will see you tomorrow."

Luke gave his hand a squeeze and with another test of their newly found mental bond, he swore he could actually feel it as if it were flesh on flesh.

"Goodnight, my son." He managed once he finally found his voice.

He watched as Luke left the room, still overcome with that unusual sense of peace.

It faded as Luke's presence drifted further and further away but it lingered just enough to keep the sting of darkness away and for the first time in a very long time, he fell easily asleep, his pain dulled, and without trace of a nightmare.


	3. Leia - Part 1

"Leia?"

Leia gasped, startled at the sudden voice behind her. She whirled around to meet the surprised eyes of Han.

"Don't do that." She snapped at him, narrowing her eyes.

"I didn't know I could do that." He answered with a self-satisfied grin.

"Shut up."

His grin grew wider and she rolled her eyes.

"I was lost in thought."

"I figured." He nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "Someone said they saw you heading this way. What brings your worshipfulness to these secluded halls?"

Her glare lingered on him for a moment longer and at his impossible grin, she sighed and bit her lip, turning back to look down the dim corridor.

"I am debating with myself."

"Must be a long argument."

She shot him a look and he smirked. "Sorry." He cleared his throat. "About what?"

"Whether or not I should….visit him."

Han's brow shot up. "Him? As in Vader?"

She nodded once.

His face twisted up in distaste. "Why would you want to do that?"

"I don't _want_ to but he's been here for almost two weeks. Luke says he's speaking now and he seems to believe that he's changed."

Han groaned and dropped his arms in exasperation. "Look, you know I like Luke but he's…"

"He's optimistic." Leia cut him off. "I know, sometimes a little too much but…" she lifted her shoulders. "He was on the Death Star. We weren't."

"Maybe not but it was he who Luke and I had to first rescue you from on the first Death Star. It was he who built both the Death Stars. He was the scourge of the galaxy!"

She turned to him sharply. "You think I don't know that?" She hissed. "You think I don't remember what he did to me and how many he killed?"

Han's eyes narrowed inquisitively. "I sense there's a 'but' coming."

Leia shook her head slowly, looking away from him. "But…he's my father." She struggled to get the words out. "And I know it doesn't mean much. It's just a word and a matter of biology. I don't feel connected to him at all, I don't even know him, but I do know Luke and having Luke… I've never known anything like it, the bond we have. He saved him, for whatever reason, he saved him."

"Oh yes, he saved his son from death, what a wonderful person he is! How noble…" he grunted as Leia elbowed him.

"I'm not saying he's a saint. I'm just saying there's a reason Luke decided to save his life. He says the man known as Anakin Skywalker still lives inside of him and that Vader died on that ship. I don't know if I can believe that but he saved my brother."

Han frowned and slowly reached out to touch her arm, drawing her to him and looking into her eyes. "You don't owe him anything, Leia."

"I know." She said quietly, momentarily taken by his intense stare. She closed her eyes, breaking their locked gaze and shook her head, "but I'm grateful all the same." She opened her eyes and sighed. "I always knew I would have to face him at least once. I've just been trying to get the stomach do so."

"If you feel you must." Han sighed. "I don't like it though."

"Neither do I." She looked up at him and smiled softly, reaching out to touch his arm. "Don't worry about me. Luke says he's practically paralyzed. He can't do anything to hurt me. At least not physically and I've survived him before."

"Worried?" Han scoffed. "Who's worried?"

Leia's brow twitched and she hummed knowingly.

"Fine, I'm worried but can you blame me?" He moved in closer to her, his hand moving to the small of her back in a protective gesture. "Just because Luke feels okay being near him doesn't mean he's okay to be around."

"I don't trust him but I do trust Luke and his judgement. Besides he is my father right?" Her lips twitched in a sardonic smirk.

"He took off Luke's hand." Han said grimly. "Clearly he's not above harming his children."

Leia rested her hands on his chest but his words kept that small sting of dread alive in the pit of her stomach. "I'll be fine."

"You, uh, you don't want me to come with you, do you?"

She tried to hide her smirk at his attempt to be supportive, despite the fact it was clearly the last thing he wanted to do. She loved him just for offering.

"No." He visibly relaxed in relief.

"This is something I need to do on my own."

"Just be careful." He leaned into press a kiss to her forehead and they shared another look before Leia released him and turned to head down the hall.

* * *

"Princess Leia." One of the nurses greeted in surprise when the doors hissed open.

"Hello Mistress Leia!" Greeted Threepio, clearly relieved to have another familiar friendly face in the room.

She gave them both a small, polite smile but her attention was drawn immediately to the bed.

She might have laughed if she still didn't feel so sick. The figure in the bed was an almost humorous version of the former Sith she knew.

His torso was still the black armor she had known but his arms and legs and helmet were a different shade of grey and the helmet was a different shape. One that wasn't so menacing.

She almost might have believed it wasn't even Vader save for the creepy mechanical breathing that haunted her dreams.

"Is he awake?" Leia asked the nurse, keeping her eyes focused on him.

"It's hard to say your Highness." She answered. "He hardly says a word, except to Master Skywalker."

Leia hummed and narrowed her eyes as she observed him.

It was strange to see him lying there so still, looking so vulnerable, when she remembered nothing but the height of him as he threatened her.

She also remembered Luke's panicked cries as he landed, dragging the almost dead man from the ship.

Part of her always wondered why Vader wore a full body of armor and mask but figured it was only a suit of armor like the stormtroopers and one to maintain his anonymity, as a coward, and to distill fear in his enemies.

As Luke pulled him out of the ship, the head of the man attached to the suit was badly damaged, his skin pale white where it wasn't red and scarred. They weren't new injuries. She would have been certain he was dead if not for Luke barking frantic orders at any medical personnel that came to help.

His screams of pain could be heard across the entire base when they were trying to repair him.

It was the suit that kept the man underneath, Anakin Skywalker, alive.

She let out a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart and the nausea and slowly walked over to his bedside.

She hesitated, unsure of how to address him. She refused to call him _Lord Vader,_ the Empire was defeated and he was not a Lord anymore. She also refused to call him _Father_. Bail Organa was her father, no matter of biology. Yet, Anakin felt wrong too.

"Vader?" She finally went with, feeling that's the name he would know and answer to.

There was no response from the figure on the bed.

She felt relieved that she didn't have to deal with him yet and frustrated that all her mental preparation for this moment would be for naught.

She thought about turning on her heel and walking away but instead found herself plopping into the chair beside the bed. A place Luke had no doubt spent a lot of time in over the last several weeks.

"I don't know why I'm here." She spoke into the quiet air, refusing to look at him, instead focusing on the wall ahead of her. "You don't deserve my time or my compassion. You certainly didn't show any towards me or my home."

Her heart ached at the thought of the loss of her home and her family. It had been years since Alderaan was destroyed but it was a loss that the sting of would never lessen. Her entire world had changed the moment she received the plans of the Death Star - she had found her brother, and the man she loved, but had lost so much.

She sat in silence for a few minutes. Vader's presence, even unconscious, was unsettling.

She was about to leave, having had enough of sitting in silence beside him, when there was a sudden noise from the bed.

She slowly turned her head towards him and startled to find his head was tilted towards her. She couldn't see his eyes through the tinted eye cover but she somehow sensed he was awake and looking directly at her.

She held her breath and watched him carefully. His arm twitched, his palm turning upwards as he started to reach out towards her.

He didn't get far, he was too weak but still she leaned away from him.

"Padmé." His voice was a little more clear that time and different than she expected. It sounded more human and less like a machine.

She could almost hear the emotion behind his voice whereas Vader had none.

Her heart leapt into her throat once the name found its place in her memory. Her mother?

She did not know much about Padmé Amidala, only what Luke had told her and what she could find in historical records.

Her mother's name, said by her biological father, made her more real to her than she ever had been before.

"I'm not Padmé." She finally answered, her voice thick.

He was silent and still for a few long moments and then his arm slowly fell back into the bed by his side.

"Leia."

A shiver rolled down her spine at the certainty of his voice. He had said her name before but it was out of malice. It was different this time, he said it with the knowledge of being her father.

She swallowed thickly. "You remember me."

"Of course, you are hard to forget."

She stopped a bitter laugh from leaving her lips. Ordinarily she would have been proud she made such a lasting impression on her enemy. But he was not just an enemy.

"I am surprised to see you here." He continued. "Luke made it quite clear you were not interested in seeing me."

"He wasn't wrong about that." She admitted, her voice cold.

"Then why are you here? To mock your fallen enemy?"

Her lips twitched at the corners and she thought of Han and how that is exactly what he would be doing. It was above her dignity as a princess to do that and it was above her dignity as the man's daughter, no matter how much she wished she wasn't.

"No, I am here out of mere curiosity, to see why Luke was so adamant about saving your life."

He made a noise, which sounded like a garbled sigh and turned his head forward. "Luke is a fool."

Her brow furrowed, her eyes flashing in anger, in protection of her brother. "Don't you dare call him that. Luke is a great man who for some reason believes in you, whether that belief is foolish I'm not so certain, but he is _no_ fool."

"You misunderstand me, Leia."

"Oh do I?" She sneered. "Well then please do explain."

"I am well aware the sort of man Luke is but I cannot see reason in his decision to save my life. I told him to let me go aboard the Death Star and he didn't."

Leia's brow twitched down, her anger calming at this new revelation. Luke had not mentioned _that_ detail.

"He says you saved him." Leia said, her voice sharp but calmer. "That you killed Palpatine to save him."

"I had not agreed with the Emporer's views for some time but as my master I was obligated to obey him. He saw the same potential in Luke that he saw in me. Luke is strong with the Force…" he paused and turned his head towards her. "So are you, Leia. I sense it. With any wonder, as Anakin's children…"

Leia frowned. "Are you not Anakin Skywalker?"

"I was once."

"Luke believes you still are. That it was Anakin who saved him."

He fell silent for a long moment and then continued, avoiding the confirmation of that statement.

"Palpatine wanted to use Luke as he used me. I thought perhaps if I could convince Luke to join me…"

Leia bristled. "To join the Dark Side?"

"To rule together as father and son. Our power together, we could do wonders for the galaxy."

"And Luke refused." This was not surprising to her, she hardly expected Luke to be swayed by the Dark Side, even if it was his recently discovered father trying to drag him there.

"Luke was not so easily manipulated. Palpatine knew it as well, knew the threat he posed to the Empire and tried to kill him. He would have succeeded had I not intervened. I believed it to be my final act, to return, perhaps from the Dark Side and embrace the light that once was Anakin Skywalker."

"Luke saved your life in return."

"He shouldn't have."

The words hung in the air and a tense silence suddenly fell over them.

The only sound in the room was his mechanical breathing and the hiss and beeps of the various machines he was hooked up to.

She remembered the agonizing screams as they repaired him. She remembered what he looked like under that suit.

Leia felt a twisting in her stomach and hated herself for it. By all right and reason she should at least be apathetic to his pain, after all he inflicted pain on others including herself and Luke. However, she was not so unkind to realize the amount of pain any living creature must feel in his position nor could she ignore the fact he was her father. The once great Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker.

The man she called father and the man she loved as father would always be Bail Organa, and she could never forgive the Empire for his death. While it was Tarkin who pulled the trigger to destroy her home, Vader certainly took no means to stop him.

But why would he have? To Vader she was Princess Leia, on a mission to destroy everything he worked for.

"Did you know?" Leia asked finally, keeping her eyes focused ahead of her. She wasn't sure if the answer would make her feel better or worse but she had to know. "Did you know who I was when we first met? Who I was to you?"

"No." The answer was simple and definitive and she realized she was at least slightly grateful her father had not knowingly tried to kill his own daughter.

"And Luke?"

It was Luke that told her but she wondered how long Vader had known.

"After he destroyed the death star, I, of course recognized his name. I did not think it possible but Palpatine confirmed it to me that Luke was the son of Anakin Skywalker."

Leia furrowed her brow and slowly turned to face him. "You didn't know we existed?"

"No…" he said again, this time so quiet she barely heard it over his breathing. "I thought my child had died with her...or so, that is what I was lead to believe."

"Padmé." Leia said and her eyes flickered down as his hand twitched. The only emotional response she could see with all of that armor. "My mother."

"She was."

"What happened to her?" Leia asked, truly curious. She knew nothing about her mother, only that she had died in childbirth and so she was placed with the Organas but now with the knowledge of the existence of Luke, and knowing exactly who her birth father is, she figured there had to be more.

Why were she and Luke separated? Why did Luke bare the Skywalker name?

"I don't know." He spoke quietly and slowly and she knew his voice had to also be mechanical. In the new suit, it did not sound the same as Vader's. Yet, she swore she could hear his voice tremble and she frowned.

"Palpatine…" his fingers twitched and then curled into fists. A very smooth, mechanical motion that reminded her with another odd painful twinge that he was limbless.

His breathing increased and she slowly sat back, eyeing him warily.

"He told me it was me. That in my anger I had…" he cut himself off and Leia's heart dropped. "I couldn't have. I wouldn't have...Anakin Skywalker made a choice to turn to the Dark Side, but Padmé...she was my light. My grounding force. Everything I did was for her."

Leia stared at him, her heart pounding. It was the most human she had ever heard him sound. Perhaps he was not the soulless monster that she believed Vader was. Perhaps Luke was right, perhaps there was still some of Anakin Skywalker in him.

"You loved her."

"A love the Jedi forbid." Suddenly his voice was strong again, angry. "Yes, I loved her and you. I….I always thought the child would be a girl." He said this almost uncertainty like it was a memory long forgotten. Which made sense, she supposed, with how he talked about himself as if Anakin and Vader were two separate people. He must have chosen to leave all memories of Anakin behind.

"I should have realized as soon as I heard your name. Leia."

Everytime he said her name a shiver ran down her spine and her body tensed as if she had to defend herself.

"Why is that?"

"Our love, our marriage and certainly my fathering of her children was forbidden by the Jedi. Neither she or I cared about their rules yet we were forced to hide it, for my position in the Jedi order and for her reputation as senator. Those stolen moments with her brought me the most joy I had ever known. Despite knowing we could never be a proper family, knowing I could never claim you as my own, I lived for those moments. To feel you, you and your brother, as you grew inside of her. We argued over your names, believing there was only one child. She argued for Luke, convinced it was going to be a boy and I...I chose Leia. A beautiful, strong name for the daughter of a senator."

Leia cursed the tears stinging the back of her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and she forced back any emotion because she refused to show him any weakness.

Yet, she couldn't help the emotion that swelled inside of her as he spoke. He was not Vader when their mother was pregnant, he was Anakin. She had always assumed the Organas had named her but no, it had been her biological parents. Her loving father Anakin had decided her name.

"Padmé must have lived to see you both. I doubt your names are coincidental."

Her lip quivered and she steeled her jaw, turning away from him.

She swallowed thickly and inhaled, slow and deep.

"So what happened?" She tried to keep her voice even. "If you were Anakin when my mother was pregnant and she was far enough along that you felt us move and were choosing names then what happened to make you betray her?"

"Betray her? I did not…"

"Yes! Yes you did!" She rose quickly to her feet and was grateful he could not move himself. "You said you made a choice to turn to the dark side and in doing so you betrayed her and what could have been our family."

He was silent for a long minute and somehow that unnerved her even more.

"I was trying to protect her." He finally answered, his voice strangely calm.

"Protect her?" She exclaimed incredulously. "How exactly is not only turning to the Dark Side but legioning with Emperor Palpatine, becoming one of the most powerful and feared Sith Lords in the entire galaxy, how does that, how did that protect her?"

"It didn't. Clearly, I failed. In very many ways, I failed. The Dark Side offered me something the Jedi would not and I let myself believe it was true. The Jedi order was a flawed institution but the Dark Side gave me no satisfaction either and it took my entire life to reach that unfortunate conclusion."

Her blood ran hot and fast, pounding in her ears. "Yes and at the cost of millions of lives and your own family's relationships. I lost nearly twenty years of knowing my brother. I never knew my mother and I certainly never knew Anakin Skywalker and you are telling me it was all to protect us?"

"I made a choice and it is one I cannot unmake. The Jedi Anakin Skywalker died the day I chose to embrace the darkness. The Sith Darth Vader died on the Death Star when I saved Luke. I am both nor neither man. Jedi nor Sith. I am an empty shell of all that could have been."

She was about to reply when the door hissed open and Luke appeared in the door, wide-eyed and frantic.

He froze a few steps into the room, looking between them, observing Leia standing beside their father's bed.

"You are here." He finally said, looking at Leia in surprise. "Han told me you were heading here but I couldn't believe…"

"Yes well I figured it was time to face the truth of the matter." She saw the concern on his face and tried to soften her stance, if only to comfort her brother.

"You don't need to worry, Luke, I'm fine."

Luke blinked and his shoulders relaxed. "Oh, well, that's good to hear but…" he smiled a little sheepishly. "It wasn't really you I was worried about."

Her brow shot up and they both looked over to the man in the bed.

She scoffed lightly. "Did you think I would kill him?"

Luke's lips twitched and he shrugged. "You certainly seemed angry about the fact that he was here."

"Well, I wasn't happy about it." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the suited man. "I'm still not sure how I feel about it...but i wouldn't kill him."

Luke finally relaxed in relief, almost smiling before a deep voice cut in.

"It would be a mercy."

Luke frowned and stepped into the room, approaching the other side of the bed. "Don't say that, Father."

Leia lifted her brow and looked at Luke, surprised at how easily the name slipped from his mouth. As if Luke had always known, as if the man was Anakin Skywalker and not some "empty shell" combination of both and neither.

"Luke, my son, I have told you my life wasn't worth it."

"And I told you that's a load of bantha poo!" Luke fired back and then looked back to Leia. "I'm not sure what you two were talking about, if you even talked at all."

"Oh we said quite a lot." Leia answered tensely.

Luke offered her a hopeful smile which she did not return.

"I still believe he is Anakin."

"And so what? Vader is gone, maybe, but he lived in darkness for over twenty years! You said it yourself." She looked directly at her father. "You are neither Vader or Anakin and certainly not the Jedi hero that was supposed to be our father."

"Leia…"

"I know you want to believe it Luke." She turned sharply on her brother. "And I am grateful for the fact that at least he decided to turn away from that darkness now but he is _not_ the Anakin you've heard stories about and it certainly doesn't make us a family."

"Leia!"

Luke called after her as she turned and stalked out of the room.

"Let her go, son. She is not ready to accept my presence in her life and in truth neither should you. Not as easily as you have."

Luke stared longingly after Leia and then turned a frown down towards his father.

"Father…"

"I once asked you to join me, Luke and you refused."

Luke scoffed quietly. "I refused because I just learned that Darth Vader was my _father_ nor did I want to join the dark side. I am a Jedi, like you once were and I believed that man still lives whether or not you or anyone else can see it."

With that final word, he turned and ran out the door after Leia. He caught her at the end of the hall and called out to her before she could disappear around the corner.

She froze, her body tense and as he approached her, he turned to him in exasperation, her eyes now wet with the tears she refused to shed in front of her father. "Luke, he made a good choice to save you, that doesn't make him Anakin again!"

"I'm not a fool, Leia. I know the darkness in him," he threw up his right gloved hand, "I fought him, I fought Vader and saw his corrupted soul. The same darkness lives in me, Leia, and probably you too, in all of us and we all have choices to make. He once chose to go down that dark road but don't you see? He has found his way back. I know he is not the great Jedi hero Obi-Wan told me about but he _is_ Anakin Skywalker and he _is_ our father."

Leia shook her head and took a few heated steps toward him. "It is not as simple as that, Luke and you can't expect me to look at him in that way. That is the difference between you and I. You grew stories about the great Anakin Skywalker, you have this image of him in your head and that man," she pointed viciously down the hall, "Is going to disappoint you when you realize how much of Vader is still in him. Me? I had a father, who was killed by _his_ Empire and I refuse to be hurt by the ghost of Anakin Skywalker."

"He's not a ghost, Leia. He's a man. Just a man who made the wrong choice once. A man who now has realized where he went wrong and all he missed because of it."

"That is not my problem, Luke. We were supposed to be together but we weren't because of the choice he made. Our mother is dead because of the choice he made. We can't turn back time and pretend we are some happy family."

"I'm not trying to do that!" Luke exclaimed.

She lifted her brow. "It seems to me that is exactly what you are trying to do."

Luke shook his head and reached out for her and she flinched away from him. He froze and her face softened and then so did his. He tried again, his hand slowly moving to her arm and she let out a slow, shuddering breath as he gently squeezed her arm.

"You think there is still some Vader in him, and perhaps that is true," Luke shrugged, his voice softening, "In fact, it probably is but there is also some of Anakin. I just want you to see he is not just an evil Sith Lord, he is our father! And our father is just a flawed man who embraced the darkness when he shouldn't have and it doesn't mean there is no light in him now."

Leia closed her eyes tightly, Vader's words echoing in her mind. His memories of being Anakin and their mother's pregnancy clashed violently with his actions against the galaxy. She could not picture Anakin as he once was and she could not connect Darth Vader to the stories of that man.

"I connected with him Leia," Luke moved his hand down to take hers, "I can feel what he feels. He is reaching out towards the light, to me, to _us."_ He squeezed her hand. "He wants to return to the light he just needs a little help."

She stared down at their joined hands and felt the familiar surge of warmth whenever she connected with Luke, something Luke told her was the Force. Vader had mentioned to her that she was strong with the Force, as Luke was, which is why she always could feel when Luke was in danger. She felt that connection to Luke, embraced it, because she loved him. She couldn't dare to let herself connect in that way with the man that was her father by blood only.

"I can't Luke." She whispered and dropped his hand, taking a step back and crossing her arms over her chest. "Not right now."

Luke's face fell and she refused to meet his eye. She hated that look on his face and she hated being the one to put it there.

"That's alright," Luke finally said quietly, "and I completely understand that. I'm just glad you went to see him."

She blinked away tears. "I'm glad I got it over with." She sighed. "I received some answers and that is all I wanted." She also was left with more questions but those answers would come in time.

She faced him, saw the man Luke believed him to be, saw the man he actually was and that was enough for her.

Without another word, or another look at Luke, she slowly turned around and walked away.

* * *

 _That could have been much worse_ , he thought as he watched his children leave the room.

When he first awoke, his mind still clouded from sleep, his vision blurred, he had seen a familiar face beside him and for a moment believed that he had died and was seeing his wife again.

The revelation that it was not Padmé, but Leia had shocked him back to reality, bringing with it the physical and emotional pain.

Leia had been the last person he ever expected to see sitting beside him.

He had been almost relieved to see her until she shirked away from him, staring at him with cold eyes.

Still, he took her in, observing her for the first time with the fresh eyes of being her father. She was a stark contrast to Luke, dark hair, dark eyes, cold and closed off where he was warm and inviting.

He could sense her presence in the force but couldn't reach it, she was no doubt unaware of her abilities. Bail would have hidden that bit of her identity from her, severing all connection to Anakin.

Luke had inherited his coloring, Leia her mother's but Leia's facial structure more resembled his.

She was angry too, with good reason, after all he had done, and knowing who he was to her.

He didn't know her, save for the few encounters they had had, but it was clear enough that she had a fighting spirit. He had fought Luke on the Death Star and knew his son could handle himself in a fight, could tap into that anger, but his daughter….

Leia resembled him in that way, a little too much.

She had infuriated him when they first met, lying to his face, defying him in every way. She was not unlike Padmé in that way but she was so much more like him.

He could not fault her for her anger, he deserved it and her words were not untrue. She had not accepted him as her father like Luke had. She would not so easily forgive his past misdeeds, misdeeds that had harmed her and those she loved.

No, he could not fault her at all. The only person, besides his mother, he had ever felt a familial bond to had betrayed him, as he had betrayed Leia.

When she first accused him of betrayal, to Padmé, to their family,he thought it outrageous. He had been only trying to protect them but the more Leia spoke, the more he realized how foolish he sounded.

Whether or not he believed turning to the dark side was the right thing to do, the action was one of betrayal to everything Padmé stood for, to the family they were trying to build. Whatever his intentions were, he had been wrong, the dark side wouldn't and didn't save her.

He had failed at everything he ever attempted to do. The Empire had flourished, with him as Palpatine's right hand, for more than twenty years but at what cost? Padmé's life, his children separated from him and each other, the power he longed for and though had was still nothing as long as he remained under Palpatine's control. He had lost everything and gained nothing. A betrayal indeed. He should have forgone the Jedi and the Sith, taken Padmé, seen to her survival and raised their children elsewhere. Instead he let Palpatine manipulate his anger, his fear, and his lust for power and turned him against everything he had truly ever wanted.

 _Anakin, you fool._

Anakin had been a slave, first on Tatooine and then to the Jedi. He thought he had freed himself by pledging himself to the dark side but Vader had been a slave to Darth Sidious under a guise of freedom. Now he remained a slave to his overwhelming guilt and self-loathing.

Trapped, no matter what he did, he was always trapped and he was growing rather tired of it.

Luke reentered the room and gave him a small, sympathetic smile. He hated that pity.

"She just needs more time, she'll come around."

Luke's persistent optimism was not as reassuring as his son likely thought it was.

"Luke, not everyone is as forgiving as you."

Luke shook his head and took a few meaningful strides towards him. "She just doesn't see it yet but she will."

He wished that were true. He wished he could be everything she deserved. He had stolen that chance from her before she was ever born.

It wouldn't be fair of him to expect forgiveness or even compassion from Leia.

He wouldn't forgive him either. He didn't forgive himself for everything he'd done to hurt his children, unintentional as it had been.

The _could have been's_ would torment him for all of his days to come, whether or not Leia would accept him.

Leia was right, however much Luke wished it, however much he wished it, they were not a family.

Luke and Leia were, their love for each other was obvious, but he had no place among them.

He had missed her childhood, missed _their_ childhood, missed watching them grow, and worst of all had taken those experiences from Padmé as well.

With Luke constantly at his side, reassuring him, distracting him, he felt the barest hint of hope for the future but Leia's dismissal of him had dashed any trace of it and left him once again in despair.

The destruction to the galaxy could be rebuilt but the destruction to his children's lives, to his own, could not be. He would not be forgiven, or accepted and he certainly wouldn't be their family, not in the way he should have been.

He was a stranger, to Leia, to Luke - however much his son thought he knew him - and even to himself. He didn't recognize himself, he never really had a true identity. The most alive he had ever felt was whenever he was alone with Padmé and then again as Vader when they were at the height of Imperial rule, before it had all gone wrong. Not suppressed by anyone, or anything, free to be whatever he wanted to be.

Padmé gave him no judgement, Padmé loved him despite all of it. And as Vader, everyone respected or feared him too much to try and stop him and Palpatine encouraged his behavior.

He lost those two things, and now he had Luke, which gave him some comfort but his life would never be what he wanted it to be.

His past, he feared, would haunt him forever.


	4. Obi-Wan

It had been a very lonely couple of days. Luke had left on a two aimed mission with Leia and Han. Leia in attempt to bring aid to broken nations and Luke to find more force sensitive beings.

Luke's presence had been a daily comfort for the last month and he found he dearly missed him when he was gone.

Not to mention that the loneliness allowed him to wallow in the darkest corners of his mind.

There were still the nurses but they didn't speak to him and he had no interest in speaking to them either.

He had been been making progress in his physical recovery and once he received new and updated prosthetics, he was able to start walking again. It took a little time to adjust to the differences, and it certainly came with pain and struggles but it was nice to be able to move around again.

After he started walking and was deemed safe, Threepio was no longer forced into standing at his room.

He found he surprisingly missed the droid also. It was his only connection to his time before Vader and as more and more time passed, he strangely found himself reaching for those memories.

The good memories, the few of them that there were. Winning the pod race on Tatooine, building C-3PO, seeing Padmé for the first time, training as a padawan under Obi-Wan, marrying Padmé, training Ahsoka, and the last good memory he could remember, the day Padmé told him she was pregnant.

The darkness had once consumed all those memories, locked them away where he couldn't find them, could hold onto the one thing that would bring him back to the light.

It was Padmé's death that sent him hurtling over the edge of darkness, and he still was in anguish at the thought of her, at what he had done, but he had their children, and he could see so much of her in Luke and Leia, and they were his light now.

Leia hadn't returned to see him but Luke continued to assured him it would only be a matter of time.

He wasn't so sure.

He knew what it felt like to feel betrayed by those you believed to be family. Leia felt betrayed, in her own words and Leia was too much like him to let it go so easily.

As much as he liked finally being able to move around - Force knows if he had to remain trapped in that infernal bed for the rest of his days he surely would go mad - he wasn't granted that much freedom.

The infirmary was small, housing only a few rooms and his the largest. Thankfully he was the only long term patient and the rooms were mostly empty, save for the quick first aid that needed to be done every once in a while. He had free roam of the wing according to Luke but Luke feared letting him amongst the rest of the people yet. Not for their safety, he assured him, but for his own peace of mind.

He knew he could have easily broken out of the simple locks but he had no need to terrorize the other residents and ruin his progress rebuilding what was left of his life.

Thankfully in the medbay there was also a door that led outdoors, one of the first places Luke had taken him once he could walk and where they spent most of their time together.

He couldn't tell the difference between being outdoors or indoors, besides the scenery but Luke looked good and healthy in the fresh air, his skin brightened by the sun and so he found he enjoyed his time outdoors.

He spoke, just as he promised, about the Force, about what he had learned as a Jedi and as a Sith, and Luke listened eagerly.

He noticed of course when Luke would lean in, intrigued or recoiled and grew wary whenever he spoke of the dark side.

As he watched Luke practice his new skills, he began to finally feel like a father to him. His heart ached at the thought of the years they had missed and how he wished he could have watched Luke grow into the young man he was but he also felt grateful he had the chance to be with him now.

At every training session one thing was made even more clear to him: Luke was powerful but succeeded where he had failed to control his emotions. Luke did not repress them, he didn't have to and he saw for the first time what the Jedi could have been if not for their strict code and how Luke might actually be able to reform the order. He was eager to learn new information, quick to learn, and talented in applying all he had learned.

When he wasn't teaching Luke, he listened to Luke's developing plans to reform the Jedi and his progress in doing so. In the last few weeks he was able to make his case to the senate which prompted his departure to find more force sensitive beings.

Even without Luke, he often found himself outdoors simply for the change in scenery and the distraction he so desperately needed. He spent a lot of time gazing up at the sky, wondering where his children were and how they were faring.

One morning, about four days after Luke had left, he awoke in a considerable amount of pain. There was a pounding in his head that would not stop and the phantom pain in his missing limbs, which had not bothered him for sometime, suddenly was agonizing.

He usually tried to ignore it, and was often successful, but without the motivation of Luke he couldn't quite get himself to move that day.

It faded as the day drew on but he still remained indoors, letting himself wallow.

" _Anakin."_

The voice of his old master suddenly called to him through the silence and his chest tightened. For a moment nothing but a flash of blind rage passed over him, as it always had when he thought of Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan was dead, struck down by Vader's lightsaber aboard the Death Star.

It was merely a manifestation of his guilty conscience that tormented him now.

 _You were my brother, Anakin!_

For the first time he was able to clearly hear those words. They had fallen on deaf ears on Mustafar, the Dark Side telling him Obi-Wan was the enemy, that Obi-Wan didn't care.

He almost felt guilty for it but then remembered it was Obi-Wan who had left him there to die, had watched in silence as Anakin Skywalker slowly burned to his supposed death.

 _Brother._ His inner voice scoffed. _He betrayed me!_

 _You betrayed him first._ Another smaller voice told him. _You betrayed all of them._ It was Padmé's voice inside his head, she always was his voice of reason, pulling him back to rational thought.

Padmé was gone now and left by himself he seethed in his anger.

" _Anakin."_ Obi-Wan's voice pressed again.

Once again, his anger roared to life and got the better of him and the lights flickered, the loose objects in the room rattled to the floor with the power of the Force. "Leave me alone, Obi-Wan."

It was madness, speaking to the empty air but he felt a little mad these days.

There was a sudden audible sigh. _"Always with the dramatics, Anakin."_

His eyes opened and found the ghostly figure of Obi-Wan Kenobi standing at the edge of his bed, a familiar look of exhausted frustration on his old face.

He closed his eyes tightly and then opened them again and there Obi-Wan still stood.

He had heard of force ghosts but had never actually seen one.

Although his former master's presence was unwanted, he was grateful at least he hadn't gone completely insane.

"What are you doing here?" He asked calmly, though the anger continued to boil inside in the pit of his stomach.

" _I've been keeping an eye on you. Your actions on the Death Star, it was very honorable, Anakin. You surprised me."_

He would have groaned if he could. "I don't care for your opinion of me, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan's lips twitched in a familiar, smug little smirk which only infuriated him further. _"Oh I know that isn't true."_

"You know nothing about me."

 _Obi-Wan's smile faded. "Perhaps not. I thought I had a long time ago. The Anakin I knew I believed to be lost forever as soon as he pledged his allegiance to the Dark Side."_

"The Anakin you knew is gone." He confirmed. Perhaps he was becoming Anakin again but certainly not as the young man Obi-Wan had known.

" _The Anakin I knew never would have allowed harm to come to his son. I faced Vader aboard the first Death Star. It was Anakin who saved Luke on the second. I am rarely one to admit my wrongs but I believed you beyond saving, lost forever to the dark side. I was wrong."_

"Finally we agree on something."

Obi-Wan chuckled, a small, half hearted chuckle but it sent a small strange wave of nostalgia through him. Obi-Wan spent a good amount of time scolding him, but there were many times they laughed together too. Many times he would say some offhand remark, do something outrageously dangerous Obi-Wan would try not to laugh, attempting to be the stoic Jedi Master he was meant to be, but there was no hiding the amusement in his eyes.

For the briefest of moments he saw that Obi-Wan again, master….friend….brother.

He pushed that memory, those thoughts to the back of his mind. That time was long lost, Obi-Wan was dead, gone, and he was no longer the young, hopeful padawan.

" _We have both come a long way since our time together, Anakin."_

He was suddenly acutely aware of how often Obi-Wan was using his name.

Aboard the Death Star, during their brief physical conflict, Obi-Wan had only referred to him by title, refusing to use the name Palpatine had given him, yet also refusing to connect the Sith to the Jedi he'd once known.

" _Many actions to regret."_

"You admit you were at fault? I must admit that does surprise me."

" _I admit I was wrong in my understanding of the Force. That those who turned to the dark side were irredeemable. Your actions once you chose that path are inexcusable but you are not beyond saving. It just took a better man than I to bring you back."_

"If you are referring to my son, I must agree he is the better man. The Jedi you could never be."

 _Obi-Wan lifted his brow. "I would have thought you wouldn't approve of your son becoming a Jedi."_

"The Jedi that I knew, no, I wouldn't. Luke insists he can rebuild and reform what the order used to be. I don't know if he will succeed but I believe he will try and I support what he is trying to do."

" _He wants so much to be like you, Anakin."_ Obi-Wan shook his head wistfully.

"I know." The image of Luke in his old robes came to mind. Thankfully Luke must have realized that the past should remain in the past and hadn't worn them again. "His advantage is he has his mother's heart."

Obi-Wan's face softened in a sad smile. _"That he does."_

He suddenly grew inexplicably angry at the look on Obi-Wan's face. The soft affection for _his_ wife.

He suddenly realized, his heart clenching, that he was finally met with someone who knew the truth surrounding her death.

He found himself unable to speak, choked up with emotion, finally being so close to the truth.

" _Obi-Wan."_ He said slowly and Obi-Wan turned to look at him, his face carefully blank.

"Padmé….what happened to her? How did she die?"

Obi-Wan's face creased in a deep frown. _"You may not like the answer you hear."_

"Tell me now." The voice modulator did not allow him to shout, or growl, not as loud as he wanted to. He was desperate, clawing for the truth that had been withheld for so long. The truth might have been painful but it was necessary, he could no longer be tortured by the unknown.

Obi-Wan sighed. _"Very well."_ He cleared his throat and his face darkened. _"You remember what you did to her on Mustafar?"_

He certainly remembered Padmé coming to him, but he also remembered Obi-Wan and how he showed up shortly after. How Padmé wanted him to come with her and surrender himself to Obi-Wan.

He winced against flashes of harsh memories, feelings of anger, betrayal, and hatred bubbling up inside of him.

He remembered how he had lashed out at _her_ because of Obi-Wan, because he believed she had taken _his_ side.

"Yes."

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. _"She survived, long enough to get her safely to Polis Massa. She was in agony but she successfully gave birth to Luke and Leia. She named them, got to see them and then passed on shortly after. Her last words were of you, after all you had done she believed there was still good in you. A belief I did not share at the time."_

"Did I kill her?" He needed to know. Palpatine had told him so but Palpatine had also never mentioned his children and he knew his word could not be trusted.

Obi-Wan was silent for an agonizingly long minute. _"No."_

The word took a moment to process but for a brief moment there was a release of the weight that sat on his heart, the guilt that ate away at him, that was until he saw the look on Obi-Wan's face.

" _Not physically, at least."_ Obi-Wan continued and turned a look on him that once would have had him feeling like a scolded young boy. _"The force hold you had on her had no medical repercussions to her or the babies, miraculously."_ Obi-Wan's tone was sharp and bitter and while he didn't blame him for it, it still irritated him to no end. _"Your actions, your turn to the dark side, were what broke her heart and it was all too much for her I suppose. Her death was a tragic loss for Luke and Leia but I think it fortunate she never knew what became of you because I believe it would have destroyed her."_

The weight once again fell heavy on his chest as he thought about what life would have been like for Padmé and the children had she survived. They'd be with her but who knows where they would have ended up. He believed the world he was creating with Palpatine was right, at the time, but Padmé wouldn't have believed so. Padmé would have been on the rebels side, forced into hiding, or forced into fighting, either option would have been miserable for her and their children. Obi-Wan was right, he saw it in her eyes that day on Mustafar, he had frightened her, broke her heart and Darth Vader had effectively ruined any chance he had with his wife and children.

" _Without a mother or father Luke and Leia were separated for their own protection."_

The words were like a lightsaber through the heart and pulled him out of his spiraling thoughts and the anger flared to life inside of him. "They had a father and you had no right to keep them from me."

 _Obi-Wan turned to him in exasperation. "I believed you to be dead, Anakin."_

For the briefest of moments his memory faded back to that memory he had repressed for so long. He couldn't think about the pain he felt as his body caught flame, for it had consumed his every thought but even in the blinding pain, he saw Obi-Wan watching him with derision and then he was gone. Obi-Wan had left him to die.

" _Even if I hadn't,"_ Obi-Wan continued, pulling him out of his spiraling dark memories _. "I would not allow innocent children to fall into the hands of the Empire. Especially children that were as close as family to me."_

" _Family." He echoed darkly, bitterly. "The Jedi don't believe in family."_

 _Obi-Wan pressed his brow together. "The jedi order discouraged attachment this is true but if you believed I did not consider you or Padmé my family, perhaps I did fail you after all."_

He fell silent, momentarily stunned by his words. He didn't want to believe them. He didn't believe Obi-Wan cared back then, all evidence had pointed to it. However, it seemed, all evidence had pointed to the contrary.

A flicker of pain crossed over Obi-Wan's face and he sighed before he spoke again. _"The Organa's could not have children of their own and Bail was present at their birth so Leia was placed with them. We believed it in their best interest to separate them, protect them from the Empire, so I brought Luke to Tatooine, to the only family he had left. Also childless, your step brother and his wife were happy to take Luke."_

"How much did they know?" He asked quietly. "About what happened?"

" _Bail knew what had happened to you, we discussed at length how best to protect the children. Owen was told you had died along with the rest of the Jedi but I believe he suspected the truth. Luke was well cared for, Anakin. They both were."_

"I know that." He could hear the love in Leia's voice for her parents and Luke spoke fondly of his Aunt and Uncle, however much he disliked living on Tatooine.

Obi-Wan smiled fondly. _"I watched and cared for Luke all throughout his childhood. At a distance of course but I was always there. He is a fine boy, Anakin."_

"Is this where you tell me he is everything I could have been?" His tone was bitter and he didn't try to hide it. He was proud, extremely so, but Luke's successes were a constant reminder of his failures.

" _If you are asking the question you already know the answer."_

He was grateful at least that Obi-Wan spared the words from coming out of his own mouth.

" _When Luke discovered the power of the force he was only nineteen. You were already a Jedi Knight by then. By his age you were already a highly trained and powerful Jedi. Luke is undertrained and clearly powerful. He is everything you were, Anakin, he just chose another path."_

He was not expecting that from his former master. He was always under the impression Obi-Wan couldn't see the power he held, that he was constantly trying to suppress his abilities, but realized now perhaps he was only trying to keep his ego in check.

The conflicting thoughts and emotions were starting to give him a headache so he returned his focus back to Luke.

"You gave him my lightsaber, you were with him on the Death Star and he speaks of you fondly. You say you kept your distance but that clearly isn't the truth."

" _We had only met officially a few days prior to our encounter on the Death Star when Artoo sought me out with a message from Leia asking for my help. Luke was with him…"_ He scoffed and shook his head. _"I had to rescue your son from trouble. What possessed him to follow a droid by himself into the dangerous lands of Tatooine is beyond me. There's no mistaking your boy, Anakin."_

He ignored that comment.

" _The plans for the Death Star...Artoo had them?"_ He knew Leia had them but never knew how she got them, or who she had given them to.

For a moment he felt a small twinge of betrayal. A droid that he had once considered a friend had conspired against him - but Artoo remained safe in the hands of Luke and Leia, the droid remained loyal to them, and in so, loyal to him.

Obi-Wan's lips twitched up. _"Yes. Your children are both far too much like you, Anakin. Luke is reckless, Leia is ruthless but they're also very clever. It seems the universe has its own sense of humor, bringing them together to bring Vader's destruction."_

His children were at the heart of the rebel alliance. Luke, the last of the Jedi, Leia, their princess, leading the Republic just as Padmé had.

They would not surrender to darkness like he had. It would have always ended this way, the bright lights that they are. Palpatine would never have let them live and he never would have let them die at his hands. Never let Padmé's children suffer her same fate.

He embraced the darkness in his desperate attempts to save Padmé and it destroyed her. Destroyed Anakin. Her children, their children, brought him back to the light, and saved him, as much as he could be saved. His life was saved, his heart turned back towards the light but there things that were broken that could never be mended. Not with any medication or suit, or any amount of love from Luke.

His tense relationship with Leia was proof enough of that. She was too strong willed and he knew he may never receive her forgiveness, not that he deserved it.

He hated the Jedi, but he also hated the Sith, he hated Palpatine, he hated himself for giving in and for what he had done to his family.

"They are much more like Padmé." He thought of his wife and her kind heart, her forgiveness and compassion, her goodness.

" _They are as much you as they are her. Had you been able to raise them…"_

Obi-Wan trailed off, leaving the words hanging in the air and the anger flickered back to life inside him.

"We wouldn't have would we? The Jedi would forbid it."

Obi-Wan sighed. _"Yes, they would have, and you probably would have been asked to leave the Order but honestly, Anakin if you believed any of us blind to your relationship with Padmé you must have been dense."_

His chest constricted, startled at this new revelation. _"_ You couldn't have known."

" _We all knew, we just chose to turn a blind eye. You were not as subtle as you believe."_

It wasn't easy, trying to hide their relationship but he thought they had been careful.

" _When Padmé became pregnant, well...none of us dare ask her who the father was but I certainly had my suspicions. I had no confirmation that the children were yours until Padmé told me but it came as no surprise. How heartless you must have believed us all to be."_

Obi-Wans voice was pitying, condescending and positively infuriating.

"If the Jedi offered me any reassurance that my family would be safe and accepted I wouldn't have felt the need to turn to the Dark Side."

" _All you had to do was ask!"_ Obi-Wan said in exasperation _. "You would have had our protection."_

Lies - the Jedi wouldn't have cared, he knew it and so did Obi-Wan. His face scrunched up and he shook his head, his eyes sad but genuine. _" At the very least you would have had mine."_

He said it with such conviction and regret, sadness, that he almost believed him.

"It was not as simple as that."

Still, he remembered Padmé begging him to ask Obi-Wan for helped and he insisting that they didn't need it. If only he had listened...he should have listened...

Obi-Wan's face flickered in frustration _. "Nothing ever is with you."_

He felt his own frustration rising. "What could you have done? To save her?"

" _I am no doctor but I did everything I could to save her. I even brought her to you because she believed she could save you! Forces sake, Anakin, I was not only your master, I was your friend!"_

"She was going to die, I knew, I saw it…" The nightmare that never stopped, even after the news of the death. Over and over, her cries of pain and anguish, screaming his name, tormenting him.

" _You saw the future, Anakin, but you saw the future you yourself created. As I told you there was nothing medically wrong with Padmé at the time of her death, there was nothing that would have killed her if you had just stayed with her."_

"It is my fault."

Obi-Wan gave a resigned sigh _. "Well you certainly didn't help."_

He was more clear minded than he had been in his entire life. He replayed those moments in Mustafar, hearing every word Padmé was telling him, begging him to turn away and how power hungry he had sounded. How power hungry he had been, how angry he had been. That young Sith Lord was the most powerful being in the galaxy and he knew it. He wouldn't listen to Padmé, because she wouldn't listen to him and then Obi-Wan showed up and…

His rage had blinded him, blinded him so red he hardly saw the difference between him and Padmé. He had reached out and…

Tears burned painfully at his eyes.

"I killed her." It was something he'd known as truth for over twenty years but without the details he always felt something was missing. Now he knew for certain, Padmé was dead and it was his fault.

Obi-Wan was silent for a long time, clearly mulling over his words carefully before he spoke.

"Darth Vader had taken control of you." He said quietly. "The Anakin I knew never could have hurt her."

He knew Obi-Wan was trying to reassure him, trying to separate his padawan and friend from the actions of the Sith Lord but he knew the truth. "I am both, Obi-Wan. I chose to become Vader, so a part of Vader was always...me. I am him. I hurt her, I…"

It was a heartbreaking revelation but an important one all the same.

He couldn't say anything for a while and Obi-Wan's silence spoke for itself. His former master couldn't look at him, instead keeping his eyes down, his brow pressed together.

"I am lost Obi-Wan." He admitted finally, breaking past his own barriers of rage and resentment and reaching out to the only man who had truly cared for him.

Obi-Wan looked up, his lips pressed together firmly. He sighed and turned to face him. _"They called you Chosen One,"_ Obi-Wan said as if he needed a reminder, _" the one who was meant to bring balance to the Force. The Jedi's mistake was to believe you belonged only to the light side of the force. Palpatine's was to believe you belonged only y to the dark. You were never meant to bring balance, anakin, you are the balance. You've known both light and dark, have become a master of both. It is up to you now to decide where to go from here, how to apply all you have learned from both sides. My life is done and I failed you as your Master, and as your friend, and I'm sorry that I could, and would, not see your suffering. but you have been given a second chance. Don't waste it, Anakin. I know you can still be great."_

"How?" He had lost everything and felt stuck in a pit of despair. "Obi-Wan...how do I go on with all in have done?"

He once pledged himself to be Darth Sidious' student but had always believed himself to be better, more powerful than him. More often than not he felt the same about Obi-Wan.

For the first time since he was a young boy, just starting training under Obi-Wan he felt himself craving his Master's teaching. He had hit the lowest point in his life and he knew he needed something to change. Obi-Wan was still a representation of the Jedi and there were certain points they'd never agree on but he was the only family he had ever known, besides his mother and Padmé.

Obi-Wan was right, damn him, he did care. He it and therefore it didn't do a lick of good for him in his entire life but he hoped it would do now.

" _You apologize, you learn from your past mistakes and then you move forward. Your children are willing to forgive you. Luke certainly has and Leia, she is stubborn but she's hurt and in time she will come around. Most important of all you must make peace with yourself."_

Of all Obi-Wan had mentioned, that seemed the most impossible of all. The guilt and self hatred ran deep and it would take a lot to make him feel otherwise. He didn't think he had ever been at peace with himself.

There were those rare moments of peace when he was alone with Padmé and all that mattered was the way she felt in his arms.

Even then, she was only a mere distraction from his tormenting thoughts and dreams.

"Obi-Wan…"

His former master shook his head _. "I am no longer your Master, Anakin, I've said all I can say. This is something you must discover for yourself."_

 _Help me._ He wanted to cry out but he knew Obi-Wan was right, it was something he had to find within himself.

Obi-Wan slowly lifted his arm and outstretched his hand toward him. He couldn't have touched him if he wanted to but he felt a gentle tingle of the Force. He smiled, slow and sad and then dropped his hand and looked over his shoulder. _"It is time for me to go, Anakin."_ He said quietly. _"I just needed to see you again, to speak to you, to know perhaps my brother was not lost after all."_

Obi-Wan's gaze lingered on him for another long moment and for once he could see the love in his eyes.

He was right, a lot had changed for both of them since he left the Jedi. His fall had not only broken himself but also Obi-Wan. Those walls around his heart the Jedi had forced up were gone.

Obi-Wan then slowly turned around and he felt that sting of dread and he knew he was about to lose another person he cared for.

"Obi-Wan." He called out and his former master froze. "Thank you."

Obi-Wan looked over his shoulder, the surprise evident on his face.

"I blamed you for many things, some of which were not your fault, but I realize my own faults and everything I've done. You took care of my family when I could not. You watched over Luke and you led him back to me."

" _Padmé believed in you, with her dying breath she said so."_ His words were a bittersweet tug at his heart. _"I knew if there was anyone who could bring you back it would be her son and I had to try."_

Obi-Wan looked down, his face relaxed in a smile and then turned his head towards him. _"Goodbye Anakin. Take care of yourself."_

Then without another word he faded from view. He felt the loss of his presence, the room felt extremely empty and quiet, and he knew he would never see his old friend again.

"Goodbye Obi-Wan." The feeling was unspoken but he felt it in his heart, a bond between them that went beyond former Master and apprentice, a kinship that could never be severed, not by betrayal or even death.

Brothers.

Obi-Wan had given him forgiveness and acceptance he didn't know he needed, didn't think he wanted but it had given him something he had not felt since he awoke: a sliver of hope.


	5. Old Friends

He spent a lot of the next few days in meditation, reflecting on all Obi-Wan had told him.

He found himself more so outside than inside, because that infernal medbay was going to drive him insane, and at least the outdoors provided a change in scenery.

He went for walks occasionally and the local Ewoks gazed at him in cautious wonder.

He hadn't been awake for the celebration but Luke had told him all about it. He highly doubted he would have been welcome as they were celebrating the defeat of all he had stood for and helped create. According to Luke, everyone even believed Vader to be dead. They celebrated his death.

 _Vader's death._ A small voice reminded him. That part of him was well and thankfully gone.

Unbeknownst to him, until his talk with Obi-Wan he'd still been clinging to Vader's memory, because it had been his identity for so long and he didn't want to give in to Anakin because of all the pain and regret his past had brought with him.

There certainly was pain, he reflected, but there was also relief. Just as there had been some sick kind of relief as he left the Jedi, there was another more bittersweet relief as he finally released Vader.

He once thought a Sith was what he was meant to become but it was as Obi-Wan had said, he belonged to neither side of the Force and the Jedi and Sith were too extreme, neither of which he could handle being a part of. Granted the Sith gave him more freedom, and power, than the Jedi had but he hadn't been _happy._ His happiness died with Padmé and the only chance of it returning lay with Luke, and if he were fortunate, Leia.

He didn't know where his life was headed, and what he could possibly do, except to be the father he had abandoned being over twenty years ago but that thought frightened and intimidated him. He _knew_ how to be a good Jedi, he had all the confidence in the galaxy as Darth Vader, but being a father...he had no experience with that. Besides the matter that Luke and Leia were already grown and had their own lives, which he hadn't been a part of, and he was attempting to become a part of.

Still, Luke and Leia were all that mattered. Trying his best to mentor Luke, earning Leia's forgiveness and acceptance, and earning his place back among civilization was what mattered.

It would be a chore, and not an easy one, but he felt a little comforted that at least he had Luke on his side.

Luke would not let him fall, he had proved that time and time again.

He was pulled out of his meditation by the sudden chirp of a droid.

Over the years he'd known numerous droids but this one in particular was homely familiar and stirred that bittersweet nostalgia inside of him.

"There you are."

He had felt Luke's presence as soon as his son reentered the planet and knew it was only a matter of time before he showed up.

He opened his eyes and turned around to find Luke standing in the doorway with a warm smile. R2-D2 sat at his heels and behind them both was, surprisingly, C-3PO.

He felt an odd surge of emotion at the company. Two droids who had once been friends and daresay family and his son - together.

His eyes fell to the astromech droid and R2 chirped again and Threepio looked down at him in surprise.

"Master Ani? What do you mean Master Ani?"

Stunned at the old affectionate title he had not heard in ages, he walked forward towards the droids and R2 rolled forward until they stopped just inches from one another.

He slowly lowered himself down and out stretched his hand to place on Artoo's dome. "Do you remember me, Artoo?"

The droid chirped in the affirmative and a relief swept over him. He never would have believed something from his life pre-Vader would turn up, none the less remember him as he used to be.

He wasn't sure how the droid had retained his memory but he was glad he did. He ran his hand affectionately over the droid's dome.

R2 hummed and he could feel the electronic pulses resonating through his arm and into his shoulder.

"Were you taking good care of my children?"

R2 beeped once, swiveled around to look at Luke and then swiveled back to him. R2 then let out a series of beeps and chirps so loud and fast that it sent Luke's brow flying up.

He remained quiet, listening to every reprimand his former droid had for him. Somehow the scolding felt worse coming from R2 than it had from Obi-Wan.

"I know, Artoo." He said as soon as R2's beeping ceased. "I abandoned you and I shouldn't have. Can you forgive me?"

R2 hummed in contemplation and then chirped and moved in closer until he bumped affectionately against his leg.

He gently patted the droid. "Thank you, old friend."

He stood up and R2 gave him one last warning chirp and turned around and returned back to Luke's side. R2's allegiance had been passed down from him to his son and he knew if it were ever to come down to it, R2 would choose Luke to stand by.

Luke smiled proudly down at the droid and then turned that smile to him.

"Artoo," C-3PO looked down at his friend, "I do believe you have lost your circuits."

"Threepio." Luke groaned, rolling his eyes and glancing back at him.

R2 beeped and Luke looked down at him and nodded.

He felt another small swell of pride as he watched his son interact with his droids. Not many people took the time to learn to understand the droids who were not programmed for language. Luke apparently had bonded with Artoo just as he once had.

"He's what?" Threepio squawked in disbelief.

"He's your creator, Threepio." Luke said, a hint of awe in his voice. "I think that's what he said. Is that true?"

Luke turned his attention to his father, brow raised.

"Yes," he confirmed a memory that seemed like a lifetime ago, "I built Threepio as a youngling."

A bright smile lightened Luke's face as another piece of knowledge had been unlocked about his father.

He was glad to see Luke taking an interest in him and though the constant reminders of all he had left behind were painful, he started to feel like Anakin again the more he bonded with Luke. Never more so than now with his droids in present company.

"Master Ani?" Threepio questioned again. "No I do not recall, Artoo!"

Luke's smile faltered, his brow furrowing. "If you built him why doesn't he remember you?"

He focused on the golden droid behind his son who stared back at him with bright but almost cautious eyes. He still clearly didn't trust him but felt safe enough in Luke and R2's presence. "His memory must have been wiped. He had witnessed too much and they didn't want any connection to me. How Artoo managed to evade the memory wipe is beyond me but he always was a sneaky little droid."

R2 beeped proudly and he felt a tightening in gut, a stirring of a laugh that would never come.

Luke let out a small chuckle on his behalf and he realized it was the first time he'd heard his son laugh. Oh, how it reminded him of Padmé. Sweet and pure and full of joy.

"Master Ani…" Threepio mused on this again. "Are you quite sure about that Artoo?" Artoo chirped another affirmative. "I say this is a day for surprises."

Threepio suddenly turned to walk back inside. He paused in the doorway and looked back at R2. "Are you coming Artoo?"

R2 chirped inquisitively and Luke nodded his head toward the door. "Go ahead, Artoo. We're good here."

R2 beeped obediently and started for the door after C-3PO.

Luke watched them go with a small smile and then looked back at him.

"So," Luke started conversationally, walking slowly towards him, "you build droids?"

"I used to when I was young. It was a hobby I spent much time on, often landed myself in much trouble with the Jedi because of it. I was always building instead of training, it was so much more interesting…"

Luke smirked and tried to hide another laugh.

"My creations often caused trouble, so Obi-Wan tried to limit how much time I spent with them. As I grew older my training intensified, and as I started going on missions the hobby fell to the wayside. I enjoyed it though and Threepio was my first, and greatest, creation."

Luke nodded slowly and then scoffed a small laugh, a smile pulling at his lips.

"He was my family's droid too, you know? Not for very long...but Uncle Owen needed a protocol droid and Artoo, well, he was second choice after the R5 unit blew."

Something R2 must have orchestrated, he thought in amusement.

As much as Artoo and Threepio argued, they were a pair and it was amazing they had remained together for nineteen years and then ended up on Tatooine in the care of his son.

"My father's droids ended up with me, even after their memories were wiped. Well, I guess not Artoo." He looked up at him inquisitively. "What about Artoo? You didn't build him did you?"

"No, he first belonged to your mother." His chest tightened as a vision of a young Queen Amidala flashed across his memory and Luke's face softened into a sad smile. "He was then assigned to me as a Jedi Knight. They tried replacing him several times but I grew rather fond of him and refused to accept another droid. Truth is, I would have been lost without that droid."

"So would I." Luke admitted. "He first led me to Obi-Wan, who then led me to Leia and Han, and he's been my constant companion ever since. I wouldn't trade him for anything." He smiled fondly.

"He is a very special droid." He agreed. "I'm very glad he found you, Luke and Threepio as well. The best parts of me remained with you."

Luke's smile faltered slightly and a certain sadness passed over his eyes.

"Leia too, she had Artoo before I did."

"In service of Senator Organa no doubt."

Once again mixed feelings warred inside him. Bail Organa had his daughter and his droid but Bail had once been an ally before he was the enemy and at least he knew his daughter had grown up loved and protected.

"How is Leia?" He received all his information through Luke because he knew he wouldn't get it from Leia herself.

"She's doing well. The mission was good for her I think to get her mind off all of...this…" Luke waved his hand vaguely between them. "I'm trying to give her the space she needs but I wish she'd talk to me. She keeps it all inside, you know? Though Han seems to know how she feels so maybe she's talking to him but then again, he is on her side. If you could call it a side, it's…"

"They don't like me." He cut Luke off bluntly. "You don't need to deny it. As much as I can sense your feelings I can also sense hers. She's angry and rightfully so and Solo also has good reason to be angry with me. They communicate, I imagine, as all lovers do and bond over their shared anger."

Luke pressed his lips together, his face scrunching for a moment and then he sighed. "She just needs more time."

 _She just needs more time, she'll come around,_ both phrases Luke had repeated often and words he has even heard from Obi-Wan.

It certainly would be a test of his patience.

"What are you doing out here?" Luke asked after a period of silence.

"Meditating." He wasn't sure where to start with making amends but he figured he might as well start with honesty. "It helps to clear my head. I had much to think about while you were away."

"Such as?"

He paused in silence for a few long moments. "I was visited by Obi-Wan." He said finally.

"You were?" Luke sounded surprised but delighted and he crossed the remaining distance between them in a few eager steps.

He was momentarily surprised that Luke seemed so unfazed he was visited by a dead man but soon realized Obi-Wan must have visited Luke as well after his death.

"What did he have to say?"

"We spoke of many things. As you can imagine there was a lot of unfinished business between us."

Luke's smile fell slowly and he nodded.

"In the end he told me precisely what I needed to hear."

Luke's brow pressed together inquisitively.

"He wasn't angry with you? Because of…" he cleared his throat, clearly trying to tiptoe around the direct words, "...what happened on the Death Star."

"Remarkably it wasn't discussed." Of all the emotions that were dug up that day, the fact they tried to kill one another hadn't been brought up. It had been a time for healing old wounds, not to reopen them.

He had forgotten for a moment Luke had witnessed him murder his mentor aboard the Death Star. His chest tightened with another surge of guilt. It was one thing to know your father was a murderer but to witness it was entirely different. It was remarkable Luke could forgive him for that.

"We mended what we could." There would always be that seed of resentment towards Obi-Wan for what had happened between them but for now it remained buried by forgiveness on both of their parts.

"That's wonderful." Luke said, his smile returning and he was reminded once again of the nature of Luke's heart.

He nodded but changed the subject, focusing the attention back on Luke.

"How was your mission?"

"It went well." Luke's face brightened in a smile. "I found a few force sensitives and they were wary at first but they were willing to listen and spread the word of what I'm trying to do. I hope to gather them all together at some point...I'm not really sure what I'm going to do once that happens though."

"You're a talented and clever young man, Luke. I have no doubt you'll figure it out."

Luke was beaming, the bode of confidence lifting his doubts.

"Thank you, father."

Luke bit his lip, there was something clearly on his mind as he looked briefly over his shoulder.

"Is there something else, Luke?"

Luke lifted his gaze back to him and his face softened in a hesitant smile and he nodded. "I brought back a surprise for you. There's someone who wants to see you."

He turned to fully face him, his attention now grabbed. "Someone wants to see me?"

Luke nodded again, his smile widening. "She's just inside, I'll get her."

"Her?" He questioned but Luke was already halfway to the door.

Curiosity and a small amount of dread sat in the pit of his stomach as he watched Luke leave. He wondered who Luke might have encountered on his journey that would actually want to see him.

It was an agonizing minute as he waited for Luke to reappear.

His heart dropped into his stomach as soon as he did because following behind him was a face he thought he'd never see again.

"Ahsoka."

His former padawan stood tall and tense beside his son, her face pulled tight in caution.

He remembered their last meeting, when he had fought her, student against master. How she had stood her ground against him, met him blow for blow, and then refused to leave even if it meant her death.

Guilt twisted inside of him at the thought of how he had treated her. The darkness and rage had blinded him, clouded his judgement, even to his padawan who he had once adored. He blamed her, just as he had blamed Obi-Wan, for something that was not her fault. She had the courage to do what he could not and he had resented her for his own failures.

In the aftermath of their fight in that crumbling Sith temple he had never expected to see her again.

In truth he believed her to be dead and hadn't given her another thought after that day but he was grateful she was alive and well and standing before him. At least she was one life he hadn't completely destroyed.

Her eyes narrowed as she took him in. She stood on guard, her hands hovering over the weapons at her hips, but she seemed to ease somewhat as she realized he was unarmed.

"I couldn't believe it when Luke introduced himself as a Skywalker." She glanced quickly to Luke. Her face softened further as they shared a small smile and he felt a small swell of emotion at the sight of his son and former padawan together.

"But I knew he had to be related to you. How many of them could there be? Not to mention, he does look so much like you."

Luke's face lit up with a smile and then Ahsoka turned her gaze back to him.

Her eyes hardened again but she seemed more curious than anything.

He found himself at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say to her. How could he say anything when the last time they met he tried to kill her?

"I'll leave you two alone…" Luke said, glancing awkwardly between them and then backed out towards the door.

The heavy, tense silence continued on for another minute until Luke was gone.

"You look well, Ahsoka." He finally broke the silence.

There was a flicker of emotion in her eyes, surprise perhaps that he was complimenting her instead of threatening her. "Thank you." She cleared her throat and relaxed her stance.

"It's been a while...since we last saw one another."

"Yes it has." Awhile since their fight and an even longer time since she saw Anakin Skywalker.

"I wasn't certain you had survived." He admitted and her jaw tightened. "Clearly you did and continued on….fighting for the rebel cause."

"Fighting for peace," she corrected, "and we won."

"So you have."

She wasn't gloating and he wasn't bitter, they were just simply stating the facts as they were. The war was over and the rebels had won and though it must have been a relief for Ahsoka, the war had also taken its toll on her.

"Luke said you'd returned." Her eyes narrowed skeptically and he knew she was referring to Anakin. "After our last meeting, I had a hard time believing that was possible."

"I don't know who I am." He admitted. "Except I do know I have turned away from the Dark Side. Vader is gone."

Ahsoka studied him for a long moment and then nodded. "You have. I can feel it. Unlike the last time, the darkness around you is gone."

"Our bond is still intact." He could feel it too. It was severed by choice long ago, when she had left the Jedi.

"You taught me well."

"I haven't been your Master for a long time, Ahsoka."

"No but you helped shape who I came to be. I wouldn't be who I am without you." She paused. "Anakin, I mean." She tilted her head. "If that's who you are."

He neither confirmed or denied her statement and she let out a soft sigh. His identity crisis was ongoing, and he was getting closer to rediscovering who he really was, but he hadn't quite reached that point yet.

"Your children are wonderful." She said with a small smile, changing the subject. "I didn't know…"

"Neither did I."

Ahsoka's smile fell slowly and she fell into a contemplative silence.

"Their mother...it was Padmé wasn't it?"

"Did everyone know that?" He thought of Obi-Wan who also claimed to know of their secret relationship. His chest tightened in a twinge of frustration. If they were as obvious as that why were they forced to hide it? If he hadn't been so afraid to ask for help he wouldn't have needed to turn to the only person who offered it.

The corners of her lips twitched. "You weren't exactly subtle. It was obvious you cared for her, more than a Jedi should, and she for you. I just didn't know how deep those affections ran or that you had ever acted on them."

He forced himself to swallow the dark thoughts of regret. It was time to move forward and as much as he hated it he couldn't change what had happened. Padmé was gone, so were the Jedi and so was Palpatine. Everyone who had manipulated that situation was dead...except him. He had nothing to fall back on and needed to move forward, away from that time.

"Apparently," Ahsoka continued, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes, "judging by the existence of Luke and Leia, you did at least once."

"More than once." He said and her brow lifted and he elaborated, "She was my wife."

He has to focus on that - the _good_ memories. Though those years were full of fear and rage and war and violence he also had the sweet, tender moments alone with his loving wife.

Her eyes widened. "Your _wife?_ When did that happen?"

"Before I met you, before the Clone Wars."

She scoffed quietly. "You were secretly married to a Republic Senator that entire time? Hidden right under the Jedi's noses?"

"You sound impressed."

"I am a little…" she admitted. "It was both brave and stupid which, thinking about it, sounds exactly like something you would do." Her lips teased with a small affectionate smile but it faded soon after and she shook her head. "But I don't understand…. she was your wife but she didn't tell you about your children? That doesn't sound like Padmé."

"She told me of her pregnancy as soon as I returned home and I was with her up until just before they were born." This topic of conversation had been coming up far too often for his liking. "That's when it happened, that's when I fell. I never saw them... I was led to believe they had died with her."

Her eyes softened, overtaking with sorrow, whether for his sake or the mention of Padmé he wasn't sure.

"What happened Anakin?" she asked quietly. "I never thought…." she trailed off, closed her eyes tightly and sighed. She lifted her head again and reopened her eyes, staring him down intently. "I knew you liked to rebel against the Jedi at every possible opportunity but I didn't think you would go that far."

"I saw no other option at the time."

"What does that mean? You saw no other option other than the Dark Side?" She scoffed. "Anakin, you were better than that!"

"Apparently not." He was tired, tired of everyone thinking they knew him when no one had. It was frustrating to realize it was all his own fault. He opened up to no one except Padmé and not even she could help him in the end.

"Anakin-"

"You don't know, Ahsoka, what was happening to me." He said sharply, his frustration rising.

"Then tell me!" She took a few furious steps forward, her nostrils flaring, her eyes flashing. She scowled at his continued silence. "I want to understand! Please...I…" She cut herself off and then let out a sharp breath. "I can't speak to you like this. Why are you still wearing that?" She demanded and gestured sharply to the suit. "Face me, Anakin."

"I can't."

"You have seen me at some of my lowest points. We fought a war together, Anakin, we fought each other, please don't…"

"I cannot be removed from the suit, Ahsoka." He snapped at her, cutting her off and she fell into a silent glare.

"I'll die." He continued quietly and her face slowly fell.

"What?" She whispered.

"It is the only thing that is keeping me alive."

She eyed him in skepticism and curiosity and then her eyes widened slowly, no doubt as she heard the hiss of his respirator.

Her eyes crinkled in pain. "What did he do to you?"

"Interesting question. Who do you think did this to me?"

"Palpatine." She answered shortly. "He is the only one vile enough."

Her logic was sound and for her sake he wished she were correct.

"Palpatine had his many faults but he was the one that saved me. I would have died if not for him."

"Then who?" She was curious but also fearful of the answer and with good reason.

The truth would condemn her former friend and mentor and she wouldn't like to hear it but he wouldn't hide it from her.

"Obi-Wan."

She gasped and took a step back. "That's not true."

"After I became Darth Vader, Obi-Wan engaged me in a lightsaber battle that would have either ended in my death or his. I lost the battle and nearly lost my life and Obi-Wan left me for dead, left me to burn to my death on Mustafar."

A flurry of emotions flickered over her face: shock, disbelief, anger, and despair.

"Mustafar." She whispered hauntingly. She winced and turned her head down, her eyes closed tightly. He knew she knew the horrors of that planet.

"I was gravely injured and Palpatine had a suit designed to keep me alive, to keep Darth Vader alive. He needed me. Sometimes I think it would have been better if I hadn't been saved. If I'd been to burn to ash on that cursed planet."

Ahsoka said nothing but her silence spoke volumes. Darth Vader had been a menace to the galaxy and if he hadn't survived, perhaps neither would the rise of the Empire.

"Obi-Wan did this..." She muttered despondently.

"You witnessed first hand what the Jedi were capable of. Obi-Wan was no different."

Her eyes snapped back up to him. "But you were!" She took a step forward, shaking her head. "You weren't just some enemy he needed to defeat...you were his friend!"

"No. To Obi-Wan I became the enemy and that is all he saw. Need I remind you, you were also ready to kill me."

He wasn't angry at her for it, nor did he blame her, after all he had been prepared to kill her as well. He still couldn't believe how far he had let the darkness consume him and how much damage he had done to those he loved.

Her eyes narrowed as she took another furious step towards him, her body rising as she tensed. "I was ready to defend myself and my cause from any threat and it was _you_ who engaged me. If you think that I would willingly want to harm you, enemy or no, you don't know me at all." She stared at him, her eyes alit with frustration and then slowly her face softened and she continued more quietly. "I have _always_ cared about you, Anakin. I wanted to save _you_ , even from yourself."

He remembered how she vowed to avenge Anakin as she fearlessly stood against him. No matter what he had done, no matter what had happened between them, she remained loyal to Anakin and that hadn't changed.

She hadn't wanted to give up on him, that Anakin might still be a part of Vader, but during that time he had. He had left Anakin far behind him and Ahsoka with him. She was even willing to die for Anakin's sake and that sat heavy on his heart.

"It appears Luke was able to accomplish what I could not." She said and the corners of her lips twitched up. "Your son believes in you."

"Luke is a very remarkable young man."

"Like his father." Her lips curled in a small, sad smile. "He reminds me so much of you and not just in appearance. I traveled with him only for a few days but being with him it almost felt like…" She paused and swallowed thickly.

She didn't finish her thought but she didn't need to. He wouldn't consider the Clone Wars to be a good time of his life and he doubted Ahsoka felt the same way, it was, after all, a war but their relationship, their bond between master and padawan had been a light amongst the darkness. Luke had reminded her of that light just as he had for him.

She let out a quiet sigh and rubbed her hand gently against her opposite forearm as she once again looked him over. "You really have to wear that all the time?"

"Yes. Anywhere outside of the med bay I do though they have been working on a device that will allow me to live without it."

She bit her lip softly and nodded slowly. Another look of determination crossed her eyes as she straightened up and looked at him. "Alright then. I ask again…" She took a few confident steps toward him, "...face me, Anakin."

He cringed. Only a choice few had seen him without his suit, and so far there was only one he felt comfortable enough around to do so regularly, and that was his son. Luke had been there for him every step of his healing process, Luke hadn't know him as anyone else. To Luke he had always been the broken, disfigured man.

Ahsoka had known him at his prime, a fit, handsome, confident Jedi. He was no longer any of those things.

"Ahsoka, you don't want to see me."

Her lips twitched sadly and she lifted her shoulders. "I have been a lot of places and seen a lot of things. Including the man I once looked up to completely surrendered to the dark side." She gave him a pointed look. "I doubt very much you would frighten me now."

He believed her and he hated that haunted look in her eyes. They had both changed so much in the years they were apart. He was not the Master she remembered and she was not the reckless young Padawan.

He hesitated, because even knowing that, he still saw the young girl in the grown woman that stood before him and he didn't want to let her down.

Not again.

At his continued silence, she asked, "Does it feel better for you to be out of there?"

"Yes." He answered honestly. He lived for the days he could spend outside of the suit.

She walked a few slow steps forward and placed a hand on his arm, looking directly into his eyes through the visor. "Then show me."

He realized in amazement that besides Luke she was the only one willing to not only approach him but touch him. The look in her eyes, and her actions, told him she was serious and he knew if there was anyone he could show himself to it would be her.

"Very well, if you insist." He pulled out of her gentle grasp and walked past her without another word towards the door.

She looked over her shoulder with a frown and then followed just as quietly behind him.

Luke was there to greet then with a smile as they walked back in doors but it faded at the thick tension that surrounded the pair.

"What's going on?" He asked as his father walked past him. "Where are you going?"

Ahsoka gave him a half smile as she walked by. "Your father is going to take his suit off."

Luke's eyes widened and he gaped after them for a few seconds before he ran after them.

"Just the helmet." He explained as he walked into the room, Ahsoka and Luke quickly following behind. "Anything else takes too much time. Luke, would you mind?"

"Uh, yeah, of course." Luke ran over to a large chair they had retrofitted with a respirator and other medical devices to monitor and sustain his life support.

Ahsoka folded her arms across her chest and watched with a curious frown as her former master settled down into the chair.

Once he was seated, Luke fiddled with the respirator until it turned on with a low hiss of air.

Luke cast a dubious look over his shoulder and Ahsoka nodded once in assurance.

Luke pressed his lips together and turned back to his father, making slow, careful work at removing his helmet.

He closed his eyes as he heard the click of the helmet and prepared himself for the few seconds he would be without air.

At first he felt the relief of fresh air against his skin as soon as the helmet was removed, but it was soon replaced by the familiar tightness in his chest until Luke hooked him up to the external respirator.

The new air took a minute to circulate through his system and then he was able to relax again.

There was suddenly a small gasp from across the room and his body tensed.

"Oh, Anakin…"

His eyes closed tighter and he turned his face away. He couldn't bare to see the look of pity that would surely be upon her face.

He heard her footsteps but didn't realize how close she was until he felt a warm, gentle touch on the side of his head.

The scared, marred and sensitive flesh that no one dared ever touch.

His eyes snapped open and he couldn't stop the tears from building if he wanted to.

Through blurred vision he could see Ahsoka's face now eye level with him.

Even with the respirator, his chest tightened as familiar eyes locked onto his, now unblocked by the removal of the helmet.

Her fingers brushed lightly across the scarred flesh on his head and he could see a few emotions flickering over her eyes - pain and sorrow but also relief.

The last time they had met eye to eye the Dark Side had a tight hold of him, and his eyes shone yellow. Though he had not yet looked at his reflection since Luke saved his life, he knew they must have returned to their natural blue. The look in her eyes said as much. She was no longer looking upon Darth Vader but at her former master and friend. Or at least, what remained of him.

She blinked, her eyes now wet. "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't…"

She shook her head, silencing his protests and brought her other hand to his cheek.

"It's alright Skyguy…"

His eyes closed again, suddenly overcome with emotion at the affectionate nickname and the tears fell hot down his cheeks.

Ahsoka released his head and instead leaned forward to gently wrap her arms around his bulky armor, giving him the first hug he had had in over twenty years.

He froze, unsure of how to react. Affection was, of course, something the Jedi discouraged and the only one he'd ever been physically close to was Padmé. There were the occasional moments of physical contact between him and Ahsoka or Obi-Wan but he certainly had not experienced any physical contact since Vader.

"Everything is going to be alright." She whispered against his ear and her warmth against him, an intimate touch he hadn't felt in a long time, finally broke the last of the walls he had been trying to hold up.

His hand slowly lifted to gently place on her back and she only gripped in tighter in response.

His eyes cracked open and he blinked past tears and blurred vision to find Luke. His son stood only feet away, a genuine smile on his lips, his eyes shining. Luke's eyes met his and Luke gave him a small nod and he only clung tighter to Ahsoka.

She finally released him, pulling away with a shaky smile. He caught her hand in his as she stood and once more looked her in the eye.

"Ahsoka…"

She raised her brow, silently waiting for him to continue.

"I…" He hesitated, the words caught. It was not something he had ever been good at. Ahsoka knew it but wouldn't let him off which he was grateful for. It was something he needed to say, no matter how difficult.

"I...I'm sorry."

She released a breath but not his hand and gave him a small sad smile. "For what, Anakin? Betraying those who cared about you, turning to the Dark Side, the countless atrocities and acts of violence you committed against the innocents of the galaxy, or trying to kill me?"

Behind her Luke's eyes widened, though he knew there was truth in every word Ahsoka had said, he had just never dared say them aloud.

"For everything." He answered simply and hoped that was enough.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes but her face softened and she shook her head.

"Lucky for you I always believed in you, even as you stood ready to kill me. Perhaps that was foolish on my part but seeing you now, I can see that maybe it wasn't." Her smile faded into a serious frown. "What you have done can never be undone and there are many people in this universe who will not easily forget or forgive."

He knew that, he feared his daughter would be one of them.

"I am not one of them." Ahsoka said seeming to read his mind and perhaps she had in a way. She sensed his feelings and he let her. He had lost Obi-Wan and their connection and he couldn't have ever predicted Ahsoka's reappearance in his life but he was grateful for it. He latched onto her presence like a child, his only friend. "For whatever it is worth you have my forgiveness."

He squeezed her hand and blinked back more tears that threatened to fall. "It is worth more than you know." He whispered, his voice hoarse. "I do not deserve it."

Her lips twitched in a half smile and she shrugged. "Perhaps not but I think you and I both know I never liked playing by the rules."

For the first time in a very long time, a hint of a smile crossed his lips. It was almost painful, an action so unfamiliar but was pleasant too, if only to see the reactions of both Ahsoka and Luke.

Luke's eyes widened and then he smiled in delight at the sight of a smile on his father's face. Ahsoka's face lit up with hope and relief at the small sign that her old friend still lived inside of him.

"How can you so easily forgive?"

She wrapped her fingers around his hands and looked him directly, seriously, in the eyes. "Do not mistake me, it does not come easy but I told you once I was never going to leave you again. I still stand by that today. I think you need me now more than ever. You're not only my former master, you're my friend and I'm not letting you go Anakin. Not again."

Luke stepped up boldly beside Ahsoka and grabbed his father's other hand. "Neither will I."

He glanced between two of the most important people in his life, staring back at him full of passion and love for him.

He was a little overwhelmed by the emotion that came with their promise. This is what he needed all those years ago, and though Padmé had given her love and devotion, it hadn't been enough to overcome the overwhelming fear.

That fear was gone and he lived now only with regret.

He knew he could no longer rely on himself, the dark side, or his power to help him get through his troubles. He needed the support and love that these two were giving him and he would not reject it this time.

"Thank you." He managed to choke out and they both smiled at him and he managed yet another small but genuine smile.

With time and work on his part, and forgiveness and acceptance from others, he had hope that it might just all be alright.

* * *

 ** _A/N: It should be noted that including Ahsoka was a request, and one that I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of, but couldn't resist putting in. However, I have only seen one and a half season of the Clone Wars and one episode of Rebels so I apologize if any details or characterization of Ahsoka is incorrect. I do love her and think she's a valuable part of Anakin's life and in this story, redemption._**


	6. Leia - Part 2

_**A/N: I apologize for the delay in update, Christmas is a busy time work-wise for me. This chapter is a little shorter but I promise the next (and last) chapter will not be far behind. Happy New Year and enjoy!**_

* * *

Leia watched with a pensive frown as the Togruta walked around the base.

As soon as they had landed, she and Luke had disappeared together with the droids in tow.

All but Threepio had one thing in common: some kind of memory of Anakin Skywalker.

She was too tired to care much as they walked off without her but she had a long time to reflect in the refresher. She hated it but she felt inexplicably angry that they all seemed to share something she could not.

This woman was a stranger, yet as soon as Luke discovered her prior connection to their father he hadn't left her side. The entire trip back to Endor was the two of them sharing stories, mostly Luke asking questions, because as much time as he'd been spending with their father he was still so much of a mystery to them.

Thank the stars for Han who provided her with a distraction. She listened for a while as Ahsoka spoke but still struggled with connecting anything she said to the man she knew as Vader and at the very least Han shared her distrust of the man.

Once they arrived she knew precisely where they were going and it wasn't as if she wanted to go with them. As they wandered off without her though, it was just another reminder of the damage _he_ had done to their lives.

After she washed and rested, she stepped out for a walk and spotted Luke and Ahsoka together again. They walked slowly, side by side as they talked. Their faces were more relaxed but solemn. Then Luke finally walked off and Ahsoka was left by herself.

She stared out the windows, hands behind her back, still and silent for a long time. Then finally she walked over to a bench and lowered herself down, her shoulders slumped as she buried her head in her hands.

Leia debated leaving her be but her curiosity got the better of her. She knew they had no doubt had a conversation with her father and she had disappeared down there for hours and then emerged clearly in distress.

Ahsoka's shoulders tensed as she approached and she slowly lifted herself up and turned around.

Her eyes were wet and cheeks tear stained but her face had pulled tight and even to hide her emotions.

"Leia." She smiled weakly and greeted her as if she were an old friend, or family.

Leia wondered if things had gone a different way, they might have been. As it were, she was just a stranger and the informal greeting left her a little unsettled.

Ahsoka wiped her cheeks. "Can I do something for you?"

Leia stopped in front of her. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I know you were going to speak with…" she trailed off and grew frustrated with herself. Why was it so difficult to name him?

"Anakin."

Leia's eyes narrowed slightly, her stomach twisting as the name easily left Ahsoka's lips. It was difficult for her because where she had her doubts about who he really was, Ahsoka, like Luke seemed to be more than certain.

"Yes." She cleared her throat and nodded. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to disturb you. I saw you were upset and I just wanted to make sure he hadn't hurt you."

Ahsoka's face tightened and she straightened up to her full height. "He wouldn't hurt me."

Leia frowned skeptically. She had countless memories of all those Vader had killed or injured. Yet again, like Luke, Ahsoka seemed to believe he was no longer a danger.

"I know what you think, Leia and I understand why you do."

Leia hardened defensively, her eyes narrowing. "You don't know anything about me."

"And you know nothing about me," Ahsoka responded quickly, "or my relationship with your father."

Leia flinched at the still unfamiliar term for the man.

"Anakin wouldn't hurt me." Ahsoka repeated confidently.

"And how do you know that?" Her question was asked out of curiosity but she couldn't help the sharp bite in her voice. "How do you know who he is right now?"

Ashoka smiled sadly. "I know my master." She explained quietly.

Leia didn't know Ahsoka well and hadn't spent too much time with her but one thing she did know was that it seemed she was well liked and well respected by those around her. She found it hard to believe that a woman like Ahsoka could have ever been trained by someone like him.

"I fought beside Anakin for years. And," she quickly added, as if she could sense where her thoughts were going, "I also fought against Vader. I've seen what it was like when he was lost to the dark side and that man down there..." she glanced off distantly, her smile fading into a deep, sad frown. She sighed and then slowly looked back at her. "He is lost but not to the darkness, not anymore. He's changed from the man I knew, of course he has, and I've changed as well but I can see my friend again and talking to him…" the corners around her eyes crinkled with pain. "To know all he's suffered…"

"All _he's_ suffered?" Leia cut her off sharply. The heat rose to her cheeks as her anger flared to life and she took a quick step closer to her. "Do you know what he's done?"

Ahsoka stared her down seriously, unflinching. "Of course I know what he's done."

"Yet you sympathize with him?" she scoffed.

"I am not sympathetic to the man he became. If it was Darth Vader who sat down there he would not have my sympathy or compassion." Ahsoka's voice was firm and Leia knew she spoke the truth which really spoke to the fact she _did_ believe he was no longer Vader.

"In fact...I had the chance to take down Vader once before and I would have killed him." She visibly flinched at this admission and Leia felt an odd stirring in her chest.

The loudest part of her said she would have liked to see the end of Vader but there was a small, new part of her - Luke's voice - that told her that perhaps he was a man worth saving.

"Why didn't you?"

Ahsoka took a deep breath in, then out and her eyes drifted upwards eyes as her mind drifted to a memory. "Our last encounter was in a crumbling temple, we were separated by the rubble before either he or I could kill the other."

Leia shoved that small voice back down as her hostility grew. "He was going to kill you."

Ahsoka looked back to her, her eyes calm on the surface but so much emotion lay beyond. "Darth Vader was, yes."

Leia sighed heavily. "I fail to see the distinction!"

"You never knew him as anything other than Vader but I knew Anakin and I…" she paused and a few emotions flickered over her face, until it once again finally settled on sad and serious.

"No, Leia, I do not sympathize with Darth Vader and I never could but _how_ Anakin became him…" She closed her eyes tightly for a moment and then let out a hard sigh, her shoulders visibly slumping. "I can't say I understand or justify anything he's done but I also knew him before all of that and he was... _amazing."_

Ahsoka's head lifted, her face softened and her eyes lit up with awe and Leia felt her chest tighten. She had never seen someone talk about _him_ in that way before, not even Luke. It was her first real glimpse at Anakin Skywalker from someone who had actually known him. He had always just been a story but for the first time she could see he had been a real person and a friend to the woman who stood before her.

"He was a rule breaker," Her lips turned up at the corners and she let out a small laugh, "but he was a good man." Her face sobered again and she looked at Leia seriously. "I know that might be hard for you to believe but he was. The best man I had ever known and to think what must have happened to turn that man I knew into…" her voice broke and she let out a shuddering breath. "It's unfathomable." She whispered, the despair evident in her voice and Leia's heart went out to her. Anakin was clearly someone who was very important to her and he had betrayed her as well.

"And I wasn't there for him." She slowly lowered herself down, closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself. "He needed someone and I _left_."

Leia's face softened in a frown, her anger releasing and she walked over and sat down beside her.

She sat in silence beside her for a long minute but as Ahsoka began to tremble she wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "It is not your fault."

Ahsoka turned tear filled eyes to her "I could have helped him."

Leia shook her head, her brow pressed down firmly. "It was his decision…"

"He was corrupted by a number of different circumstances. Yes, it was his decision but if he had someone to stop him before he made that decision…." She trailed off and looked off distantly. Her face twisted in sorrow. "I could have been that someone."

Her words struck Leia hard. She didn't know what had happened to turn the so called great Anakin Skywalker into the deadly Darth Vader but to her a decision like that rested solely on him and no one or nothing could have prevented it. At least, she imagined that to be so. If it was true that Luke brought him back after twenty years, maybe there was something that could have been done. She dare not place blame on anyone but him, however, especially not on Ahsoka. Still, it was his son that brought him back to the light, and made her wonder...

"How close were you to him exactly?"

Ahsoka laughed half heartedly and smiled weakly. "You and your brother think alike. He asked me the same question and I will give you the same answer. I am not nor have I ever been in love with him. What I have with Anakin...it's a difficult feeling to explain to someone who is not, or never was a Jedi. He was my master and that bond is almost unbreakable. He was my friend and brother. He was family."

"The Force connects you." Leia realized and Ahsoka nodded with a small, tender smile.

"I think I understand that. I share that with Luke, I was connected to him before I even knew he was my brother."

"Yes, Luke told me you were force sensitive." Ahsoka smiled at her, almost proudly and Leia once again had that sinking feeling in her chest. The feeling that she had missed out on something great. She wouldn't have traded her parents or her life with them for anything but the _what if's_ were a constant, if subtle, tug at her mind and heart.

A brother is what Ahsoka called Anakin. If he hadn't chosen the wrong path, would they have all been a family? Despite being separated for over twenty years, Ahsoka still deeply cared for Anakin and took to Luke as if they _were_ family, she looked at her like she was a proud Aunt. And what did it all mean for going forward? Would Ahsoka continue to stay around? Leia had the feeling she would judging only by how devoted she was to Anakin.

Ahsoka leaned in closer to her and lifted her shoulders. "You could have that with Anakin too, if you let it."

Leia scowled. The thought of sharing the same type of connection with Darth Vader as she shared with her brother sent a chill down her spine and caused her stomach to twist uneasily.

"You don't want to." Ahsoka keenly observed and Leia's dark eyes looked up at her quietly.

Ahsoka smiled weakly. "That's alright. I suppose I wouldn't want to start a connection with someone whose mind had been clouded by darkness for so long."

"Can you break the connection you have with him?" Leia asked. She didn't like the thought of connecting with him for the first time, she would hate to be in a position where she couldn't break an already forged connection.

"I can and I have." Ahsoka nodded. "For over twenty years it was broken though I don't know if that was his doing or mine. For a while I thought Anakin was dead because I couldn't feel him. He closed himself off to me, to anyone. Now that he's back, I reach for him and I can feel him again." Her eyes closed and she straightened up and a small, almost peaceful smile tugged at her lips.

Leia watched her curiously as she no doubt was connecting with him at that very moment.

Without really thinking about it, Leia prodded out and could feel Luke's presence. It was a skill that Luke was helping her to strengthen. She didn't want to use the Force in the same way her brother did, and the only person she was interested in connecting with in such an intimate way was Luke.

Her breath caught in her chest as she suddenly caught hold of another presence. Unfamiliar, yet familiar at the same time, muted but powerful, sad and chilling.

She quickly retreated from the feeling, severing any connection before it started, and a shudder rolled through her.

She had felt him, almost connected with him and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

Thankfully, Ahsoka hadn't noticed. She was still sitting quietly, peacefully, lost in the power of the Force.

Leia took a few slow, even breaths to calm her racing heart. She continued to watch Ahsoka until she slowly relaxed her formerly straight posture, her eyes fluttering as she released herself from the connection.

"He's asleep now." Ahsoka said quietly. "That's good."

Leia didn't respond to that and knew Ahsoka was talking to herself anyway.

"You really think you could have stopped him?" Leia asked her quietly.

Ahsoka opened her eyes and looked to her. A frown reformed her face and she shook off the last of her distraction. "I'm not certain but I definitely would have tried. He told me what happened, the events leading up to it. He was afraid. So terribly afraid and the power the Dark Side offered him relieved those fears. He felt unstoppable when everyone around him was constantly trying to tell him how to live his life. His fear was fueled by his love for your mother and her protection was his top priority."

Leia scoffed quietly. "He told me the same thing. Her _protection._ "

Her mind briefly wandered to Han. She loved him and would go through hell to save him but to sacrifice herself in that way, to surrender to darkness? She couldn't imagine going that far, even for Han.

"Anakin is very loyal and fiercely protective of those he loves. I've seen him risk life and limb for _Artoo_."

Leia's brow lifted at that. She couldn't imagine the man who could kill in an instant risking his life for a droid. That was the difference, she imagined, between Anakin and Vader and therein lay the distinction she hadn't seen.

"For his wife, for his _children_..." Ahsoka glanced at her pointedly. She frowned, her eyes narrowing - she did not want to be a reason for Darth Vader's existence. "...he would have done anything, including turning to the Dark Side." Ahsoka glanced away for a moment and shook her head slowly. "He clearly did not think of the consequences of those actions."

"No, he didn't." Leia said sharply and crossed her arms tight to her chest.

Ahsoka slowly looked back to her and then turned her body towards her. "You are right, Leia, I don't know you. I don't know what his actions as Vader has done to you. I am not saying you should forgive him either. If I were in your position I don't know if I would."

Her brow furrowed. "But you do."

"I do," she nodded, "because Anakin is too important to me to let him go when he needs me. When I left the Jedi, I was young and just wanted out. Your father did too but he didn't, maybe couldn't, bring himself to do it until…" she trailed off with another resigned sigh.

Leia's lips pulled into a thoughtful frown. "Luke said he felt trapped." She also remembered the words from his own mouth, telling her how his marriage to her mother was forbidden. No, not just their marriage but their _love._ His love was forbidden and yet he loved anyway.

Why _didn't_ he just leave? She wondered. Why did he have to resort to the darkest of evils and in the name of _love?_

Ahsoka nodded quietly with a frown. "I knew he had issues with the Jedi, he told me he wanted to leave. The truth is that no one will know what was going on inside his head, I'm not sure even he knows. The Dark Side has a way of clouding one's judgement."

Leia slowly lowered her hands back down to her lap and then turned in towards Ahsoka. "Can you tell me what you see in him?" She needed to know from the perspective of someone who was not her brother. "And I don't mean in the man you once knew but who he is now. After all he's done, how can you believe there's still good in him?"

To her surprise, Ahsoka took no time to think and instead only gave her a small smile before she answered. "The answer is because I do see the man I once knew in the man he is now. When I last saw him, as Vader, it was as if his heart and soul was gone." She swallowed thickly and her shoulders shuddered. "We fought and I looked into his eyes and saw...nothing. Nothing but anger and hatred. That's when I knew that Anakin was gone."

Her voice broke, no doubt as her heart had done that day.

"Anakin was all heart. He appeared rough on the outside because that's what a Jedi should be, free of all personal attachments, but he cared so deeply, almost too much and certainly too much for a Jedi." She blinked away the moisture that started to form at her eyes. "I wasn't sure what I would find when Luke told me he was still alive. I was frightened to come here because I didn't want to have to face Vader again. But when Luke took me to him, I saw Anakin, I saw his heart. Leia," She startled as Ahsoka gently placed her hand on top of hers, "I see a man who is broken because of his own actions, a man who couldn't see, at the time, what he was doing was wrong but now is truly remorseful for what he's done. I see the man who cares too much, a man who wants to know the children he lost so much time with."

"It's his own fault." Leia hated how small her voice sounded. She wanted to remain angry at him and if all he ever was was Darth Vader she could be but Luke's belief in him and Ahsoka's knowledge of the man he once was and the love she still clearly had for him tore at her heart.

"I know that." She squeezed Leia's hand gently.

"Yet you and Luke think I should give him a chance."

Ahsoka pressed her lips together. "No one can force you into feeling something you don't feel. All I know is, he is your father and he loves you."

Leia shook her head. "He doesn't know me." She protested weakly.

"He doesn't have to. He's your father and all the darkness that consumed him for so long doesn't change that. He's capable of such destruction, yes, but he's also capable of so much love. He let fear and anger and hate rule his life for so long, now he just wants the love he was always denied."

Leia frowned skeptically. "You loved him."

"I did." She agreed with a small smile, "and I still do but as Jedi we couldn't acknowledge it and when I left he had no one."

"He had my mother, didn't he?"

Ahsoka smiled soft and sad. "Of course he did, yes. I won't lie to you, Leia...I knew your mother, and while I suspected something was going on between them I didn't know they were married and I don't know what their relationship was like. Nobody knew, I imagine, except them and Padmé …" She flinched and her face flickered in anguish. "Their secrets died with her and lay with him and his viewpoint cannot exactly be trusted. I knew Padmé, she was passionate and strong, like you," The corners of her eyes picked up with a spark of affection and Leia felt her heart jump. She didn't know much about her mother and it was the first time anyone had compared her to her. "...and I'm sure she loved him dearly but it just wasn't enough." Ahsoka sighed as her face fell. "The Jedi had forced this way of life upon him, forced him to stay quiet, forced him to believe he had to handle his fears on his own. I escaped that life and it allowed my heart to open again but he didn't and that was his downfall."

Leia sat quiet, allowing the words to settle. Finally she was beginning to see what had went wrong and while ultimately, it was his decision and his decision alone to become a Sith, there were heavy external factors that guided him there.

Her heart pounded and her mind raced with conflicting thoughts. Ahsoka broke through another piece of the wall she was refusing to see over, the wall that kept her at a safe distance from acknowledging the truth of her true parentage. If she allowed herself to connect to him, to feel for him, it meant she was accepting him and all he had done.

Leia shook her head stubbornly. "I can't love someone just because he fathered me or because he _wants_ me to love him."

"I understand that, perhaps better than most. You see I also never knew my birth parents. I was taken into the Jedi order at a very young age and I first met Anakin at fourteen. If my parents had shown up to claim me, I would have no connection or attachment to them. Anakin, Obi-wan, the Jedi... they were my family and the only one I've ever known. I don't remember much of my past, especially of the time before the Jedi, but I do remember feeling alone. You weren't alone, not really, were you, Princess?"

The use of her title in that fashion almost would have been mocking and for a moment she felt a stirring of anger within her until it settled at Ahsoka's kind eyes. "You had a family," She smiled, "You had parents, great ones. I remember senator Organa and what a great man he was. No one can ever take that away from you, Leia, not even with their deaths."

Leia's jaw tightened to stifle the quiver she felt stirring up at the thought of her parents. She turned a sharp look to the ground, fighting away the sting of tears at her eyes. She missed them terribly and wished they were still alive so she could ask them what to do.

"You know you look so much like him when you do that." Ahsoka's voice was soft and wistful and Leia quickly snapped her head up, her eyes slightly wide.

Ahsoka gave a small, sad smile. "You don't have to forgive him today, or next week or at all. Your relationship with him cannot be compared to your brother's or my own. You have to decide what is right for you. I am glad you're here, talking to me and asking questions. You're angry, understandably so, but not apathetic. Maybe somewhere deep inside you, you do want to know him but you just can't get there yet."

Leia tensed and briefly wondered if Ahsoka could get into her mind as well. Despite having just met her, she seemed to know exactly how she felt. Her mind subconsciously reaching out for him spoke more to it than she realized.

She wanted to understand what it was about him that kept Ahsoka and Luke loving him and she wondered if connecting to his feelings would help her to do just that. She was afraid that once she made that connection she wouldn't be able to break it and she didn't know what she'd find in his head.

"He will be there if and when you decide you are ready. He wanted you, Leia, I know that and he would have been a great a father to you. It didn't happen so it almost doesn't matter but he wants you now."

Ahsoka gripped tight onto both of her hands and leaned in until their eyes locked. Leia almost couldn't breathe from the emotion that shone back at her through Ahsoka's eyes and her own damned emotions clogging her throat.

"Don't give up on Anakin Skywalker because I promise he will never give up on you."


	7. The Wedding

_One year later._

Endor was a buzz with the thrill of impending celebration. There weren't too many people, Leia had insisted on a small, more private ceremony and chose to have her wedding on Endor and not Chandrila where she resided.

However, any additional people meant additional stares and he took to staying out of their way.

"You're going to have to get used to this, you know."

Ahsoka stood beside him in a secluded corridor where he had chosen to stand and they watched all manner of people pass. The guests all dressed up and waiting for the ceremony to start and the staff carrying decorations, chairs, tables and food to their destination.

She turned to him with a smirk. "You can't remain a recluse forever."

He frowned and crossed his arms tight over his chest. "I think most of the galaxy would prefer I do just that." He shot back and she rolled her eyes.

"It will be good for you, Anakin. You need some healthy social interaction."

"That's what I have you for."

"You need more than me. I'm not here all the time."

After their initial reunion she had stayed on Endor for a while to help rehabilitate him back to physical and mental health as best she could.

Though Ahsoka had a life of her own and she was not interested in becoming a Jedi again even under Luke's new leadership, she still offered to help train Luke and teach him what she had learned over the years.

They would spend hours together and it gave him a joy he hadn't felt in a long time to watch his son and his former padawan train together.

Once he was strong enough he even attempted to join them once.

Luke had handed him his old 'saber and the moment it was placed into his hand a flood of memories came pouring back. His last actions with that lightsaber had been death and destruction, of the Jedi, of innocent children, of his best friend and of himself.

He thrust it back into Luke's hands almost immediately.

" _It belongs to you now, son_." He told an alarmed Luke. His son had defeated Vader with it, proved his own skills, and reclaimed its goodness.

He didn't want to remember the darkest moments of his life. It was time to start anew and it meant leaving all of that behind him.

After that he decided to only just watch and give verbal instructions. He didn't trust himself enough yet to not give into the power he knew he still had.

Ahsoka would then argue with him on method and style, and he would remind her that he had trained her, and then she would remind him she spent twenty years without him and picked up new skills on her own.

Luke took advice and put into practice what each of them had to say and even trusted his own instincts. It wasn't long before Luke was nearly on equal footing with Ahsoka and even - every once in a while - was able to overpower her.

" _You are your father's son."_ She told Luke the first time and he and Luke exchanged equal looks of pride.

She came to visit every few weeks, spent a few days training with Luke and then spent days alone with him, rebuilding the friendship that had been lost.

He was surprised by how easily their friendship had fallen back into place. Her acceptance and forgiveness was the key and he found he had something to look forward to. His life was no longer confined to the medcenter with his only companionship being Luke.

They often went on walks to get him used to his new prosthetics, and to get out of the base for a change. Eventually they discovered a hidden meadow not too far from the base where they ended up spending most of their time together.

He would sit and listen while she told animated stories of all she had been up to, and twenty years provided plenty of stories to tell. It was almost like old times, when they had been fighting on the same side. It was that feeling of bittersweet nostalgia that kept him listening to the tales of the rebels. He realized with Ahsoka on their side, and then Luke and Leia, they actually stood a fighting chance against the Empire, even if he hadn't turned sides and killed the Emperor.

She tried to get him to open up and talk about himself but he didn't want to discuss his time with the Empire. He knew she knew some of what he had done, the tales of his horrid acts were spread all across the galaxy, and he dare not confess the rest.

Instead he told her about Luke and Leia and where he hoped his future was going with them.

They talked about Luke and how he was progressing and Ahsoka's constant praise helped him feel like a proud father, even if he had nothing to do with how Luke was raised.

The boy was his flesh and blood, and while he still believed Luke was more like his mother, he was still proud to be able to claim him as his son _._

She gave him kind encouragement but also told him, like Luke, to be patient with Leia.

His daughter still avoided him to the best of her ability. Every once in a while, he caught her watching him from across the room and it always looked like she wanted to approach him but never did.

It was those lingering, contemplative but not contemptful glances that held his hope on the thin thread it lived on.

After a few months they moved off of Endor and to Chandrila, it was where Leia needed to be for the senate and Luke hadn't really had a home of his own except Tatooine and neither Luke or Anakin wanted to return there.

Leia spent her time either working, with Han, or with Luke and he almost never saw her. Chandrila was a more populous city and she could easily disappear.

He sensed when she was near, just as he could with Luke but kept his distance until she was ready to approach him. It was so tempting to confront her but he couldn't risk any more damage to their already fragile relationship.

He lived for the days Ahsoka and Luke were around. Otherwise the loneliness was almost stifling. He often liked to be alone during his time as Vader, but he was in a different frame of mind then. He didn't have friends, he had stormtroopers who listened to his every command and Palpatine who acted only as Master. He had been free to feel but all he felt was anger and hate and lust for power. Now that that part of him was stripped away he was left with all the emotions he hid for so long and he craved personal connections but was afraid to reach out for it, couldn't reach out for it, except to those who were willing to give it to him.

Despite knowing he had let her down, Ahsoka was the only one he could talk to that might understand. She was the only one that knew him and it felt good to have that again.

"You mean to say you have no social interaction with anyone when I'm not here?" Ahsoka asked.

He shrugged. "I have Luke."

"He's your _son."_

"And Artoo."

"You cannot restrict your friendships to droids, as good of one as Artooey is."

"I don't see why not."

" _Anakin."_

He threw her a look of exasperation. "As if I've ever been good at making friends."

He could only think of three meaningful relationships in his life and he had proceeded to blow them up like the disaster he was. Two of them were dead and he was grateful the third actually still liked him after it all, even if she was sometimes as irritating as she was as a young padawan.

Her lips twitched as she turned to face him. "Never a better time to start than after you've destroyed half the galaxy."

"Thank you for your optimism," he muttered darkly, "it is extremely helpful."

"I am being serious. You've made mistakes, but now you've got the chance to try and make up for them." She laid her hand gently on his arm, pulling his attention back to her. "Despite what you think it's not your scars that scare people away. Not the visible ones anyway."

"I cannot get my own daughter's forgiveness, how do you think I could get anyone else's?"

Ahsoka pressed her lips together. "Don't give up on Leia just yet."

He peered at her curiously and she gave him a gentle smile. "I don't think I have to tell you how much like you she is. She doesn't want to get hurt again but I can sense the struggle in her. She wants to know you."

"I hope you're right. Sometimes, it still feels hopeless. I've done terrible things, Ahsoka, unspeakable things. I've torn apart families, including my own and all for the sake of…" He paused and scowled. "I don't even know the reason anymore. Power and control? It all seems so pointless now."

Ahsoka shook her head and moved to stand in front of him to catch his eyes. "No. No, Anakin, you're not doing this. Not today."

His eyes narrowed as he glanced to her. "What are you talking about?"

"This spiral you do into depression and self loathing. You've made a lot of progress in the last year, anyone who takes the chance to get to know you can see that. It's not going to come quick or easy or at all to some people but it will come, I know it. And today is your daughter's wedding day so wipe that sulk off your face and enjoy the day because it is a happy one and Leia doesn't need Mr. All Dark and Broody dampening the day."

It was somehow both irritating and relieving how well Ahsoka could see right through him and he certainly always admired her for speaking her mind. "You know, Snips, you are perhaps the bravest person I've ever known."

She scoffed but smiled slightly. "Why? Because I should be afraid to stand up to you?" She shrugged."Never have, never will and someone needs to snap you out of your own head."

His frown deepened and a dark look passed over his eyes. "My sanity is not your responsibility."

She pressed her lips in firm line and then reached out to grab onto his arms, startling him. "I know you have been emotionally stunted for your entire life but this is what family does. And before you argue with me, yes you are my family. You're right, I can only do so much to help you but I'm willing to do whatever I can because I care about you. You," she released his arms and poked his chest lightly, "are stuck with me."

"This is beginning to feel very familiar." He muttered with a slight roll of his eyes.

She nodded with a small smirk. "It will feel like old times. I'll be following you around, only this time you'll be learning from me and Master have you got a lot to learn."

He was about to reply when Luke's head suddenly popped around the corner. He did a double take and then he let out a little sigh of relief.

"Here you are." He said as he approached them. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Hello Luke, you look nice." Ahsoka greeted with an approving smile as she took in his all black but simple and nice outfit.

"Thanks 'Soka." He smiled and gave her a once over. "So do you."

"Father," Luke then turned to him in exasperation, "were you hiding again?"

"No." He said quickly and almost at the same time, Ahsoka answered, "Yes."

He shot her a dark look and she smiled with a shrug.

He grunted and looked back at Luke with a small scowl. "I will reserve my social interaction to the necessary requirements. I will show my face at the wedding, if I am even wanted."

"Of course you're wanted." Luke sighed in exasperation but then a smile lit his face. "That's actually why I've come to find you. Leia wants to speak to you."

He whipped his neck so fast he thanked the Force for the supports he still had to wear. "She does?"

"She does." Luke confirmed with a nod. "Come on, I'll take you to her."

He blinked in stunned silence for a few moments but as he went to follow Luke, Ahsoka gently grabbed his hand and held him back.

He looked over his shoulder and she gave him a soft, encouraging smile. "Remember what I said. This is a good sign. She's not going to start anything on her wedding day. Now go bond with your daughter."

He turned back to Luke, skeptical but the smile on his son's face gave him hope that maybe Ahsoka was right.

He couldn't imagine that after all this time, with hardly a word from Leia, that she would want to make amends.

His pulse was pounding, rushing through his head as he followed Luke through the halls to Leia's room.

Luke knocked on the door and Leia's muffled response came from within.

Luke cast a knowing smile over his shoulder and somehow his son's confidence eased his nerves.

Luke opened the door and nodded him in.

He stepped in through the door and found Leia in the corner of the room facing a full length mirror.

She was dressed in a simple but beautiful white dress, her long hair loosely pulled behind her. She looked so much like her mother in that moment his heart nearly stopped. The beautiful dark brown color of her hair was all Padmé.

He remained at the door, barely catching Luke's pleased grin as he shut the door behind them.

Once the door was closed, he focused all his attention back on Leia.

One arm was pressed to her side, the other hand rested over her abdomen, a sign of something that perhaps she did not feel comfortable telling him but somehow he knew.

"Luke said you wanted to see me." He said once he finally found his voice.

"Yes." Leia said, her expression stony and calm. She continued to face the mirror but her eyes fell on his reflection.

Gone completely was the black armor that had housed his injured body for over twenty years.

At Luke's direction, the medical and technical teams worked to build him something that would not only sustain his life, but keep him as comfortable as possible. This included a portable respirator that kept him breathing and allowed him to not wear the stifling helmet. He still had to wear a bit of protective armor, mostly a back brace to support his injured spine but his movements were much less constricting.

It was an adjustment to say the least, he became self conscious, and even angry at first, at the thought of being exposed to the world. His scars reminded him of his failures but to be able to feel the air on his face again, and not have to live in that suit that was more like a prison, was well worth it.

He found that Luke had kept his survival a secret, as best he could, and once he was ready he entered the world as Luke and Leia's estranged father. Once they relocated to Chandrila it helped even more.

The rumor was that Vader had died upon the Death Star along with the Emperor and hardly anyone knew that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were one in the same.

Some people knew, especially those who were present at his time of rescue, and rumors flew, so there were always cautious stares, especially because of his scarred head, his prosthetics and the respirator that was still vaguely reminiscent of Vader.

Luke and Ahsoka's acceptance helped him through. They forced him into public view and everyone either respected Luke too much, or was too afraid of Ahsoka, to say something.

"I was just wondering …" Leia continued. "...how were you and my mother married?"

The question caught him off guard and thoughts and memories of Padmé sent his heart racing. He took a moment for the respiratory system to catch up and the tightness in his chest to loosen.

He let his mind wander to that brief moment of pure bliss so long ago.

When he pulled himself back to reality, he caught Leia's expression in the mirror. It had softened and he could see his own reflection, his lips pulled into a small, sad smile as he remembered his wife.

"It was a private ceremony on Naboo. The Jedi would have forbidden our marriage so we had to marry in secret. It was only us and the droids - Artoo and Threepio."

Leia's brow pressed together, a frown of disapproval. It reassured him somewhat that, although Leia did not pursue that side of her, focusing instead on her political position, she did not approve of the oppressive nature of the the old Jedi order.

"It was a difficult time of my life." He admitted, almost choking the words out. He hated to talk about it but knew if he wanted Leia to open up to him he also had to open up to her. "My mother had just been killed."

A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes. She hadn't known that and why would she have? She knew almost nothing about Anakin Skywalker.

"I felt angry and lost." Leia's eyes lifted to meet his through the reflection and her face slowly softened further. She understood that pain. He had caused that pain, however indirectly.

"My mother had been all I had for a long time. I loved her but I left her...to become a Jedi. When she was gone I…" he trailed off. His murder of those responsible for his mother's death was only the beginning of his downward spiral toward the dark side.

He suddenly remembered Ahsoka's words and pulled himself out of those dark memories.

He couldn't bring himself to go there, to dampen his daughter's wedding day with his darkness, not when she finally appeared to be letting him in. "...but Padmé helped me, she loved me. She was the light that guided me through the dark and our wedding was a highlight of my life."

Leia's frown slowly morphed into a small smile, her tense shoulders relaxing. She reached up to tuck a few strands of her hair back into place.

"How old were you?"

It was the longest conversation Leia had with him since their first confrontation after his rescue and she wasn't hostile or cold. She was cautious but curious about his life and he was prepared to answer any question she had.

"I was nineteen." Leia's eyes flickered back to his reflection in faint surprise. "Your mother was twenty four."

Around the same age that Leia herself was, he could see that trail of thought flicker across her face. He couldn't believe so much time had passed, his children were older than he was by the time he fell.

His daughter was getting married, yet the memory of Padmé's pregnancy was as fresh in his mind as if it had happened yesterday.

He hadn't valued those moments as much as he should have and so much of her life had been missed.

He shook off those thoughts as he found his mind drifting and focused his attention back on Leia's question.

"I was young but I knew. I had loved her from the moment I saw her." He smiled again wistfully. The only good memory of Tatooine was his first glimpse of his future wife. "I was nine years old."

"Nine?" Leia laughed in surprise and his heart lifted at the sound.. "You were nine years old?"

"Yes, she was Queen of Naboo at the time and on a mission with Obi-Wan and another Jedi, Qui-gon. Their mission led them to Tatooine and to the shop where my mother and I worked. I thought she was an angel, the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. Though as a slave boy on Tatooine I hadn't seen many girls."

Leia smiled again, soft and sad and he thought it may be one of the beautiful sights he'd ever seen. It was one so rarely seen, not in his presence and never to him. He was only able to admire it from afar when she was in the arms of Han Solo or joking around with Luke.

"I left for Jedi training with Obi-Wan and wouldn't see her for another ten years but she never left my mind. When we did reconnect after I was assigned to protect her as a young Jedi, at first she couldn't see me as anything other than that little boy and it was incredibly frustrating. Eventually she did see me as the man I had become and loved me as I loved her. Though the Jedi forbid our love it only made me love her more. We escaped to Naboo for a few days and were married. It was always the thought of returning home to her arms that kept me fighting through the clone wars."

Leia's smile was soft but it faded and she chewed gently on her lower lip. There had to be a million thoughts and feelings running through her head, though her face remained calm, he could see the storm of emotion in her eyes.

"It sounds like you really loved one another."

"We did." He answered quietly and his heart ached at the thought of his beloved wife. Her loss was still a sting, even more so knowing all he had worked for in order to protect her had done nothing but destroy her and their family. "Your mother was wonderful Leia. I regret you never had the chance to know her."

Leia's jaw tightened. "So do I." She whispered.

She then took a deep breath and said, "Bail and Breha Organa were and always will be my parents."

Though the truth of the words continued to sting, he knew Leia would never accept him as he was. At this point he was grateful for any acceptance from her at all.

"They should have been here on this day and it kills me to know they can't be." Her voice cracked with emotion and he could see her eyes mist over with unshed tears. His heart went out to her, his daughter was showing her vulnerability in front of him and he longed to reach out to her, to hold her, to love her but knew he couldn't.

"I'm sorry." He said and he meant it. Once upon a time he was angry that Organas had raised his child but he had learned to move past it, grateful at least that Leia had people who loved her. He didn't want his daughter to suffer and perhaps if he had known back then he may have done something to save Bail and Breha Organa. After all, Bail had been a friend before he was the enemy and he was only the enemy because of his allegiance to the republic. It was Anakin who had betrayed them, who turned against them, made himself their enemy and not any fault of Bail Organa.

He hadn't known him too well but Padmé had and Padmé would have wanted someone familiar, someone trusted by her, to raise their daughter and Bail at least had been that.

Leia blinked in surprise and then clenched her jaw, forcing back the tears and cleared her throat. "However, I also know that I had another father who loved me before I was ever born. I have been thinking a lot recently, about you, about what Luke and Ahsoka have told me about you. I've had much to work through regarding my own feelings and kept my distance as I did, for my own sanity. I think I know where I stand but I just have one question for you."

She finally turned around to face him. She took a few meaningful strides toward him and paused just a few feet from her, inclining her head to look him in the eyes.

Her face was pulled tight and serious and there was that familiar fire in her eyes. For a moment he was pulled back to their first meeting when she looked him straight in the eyes and told him off. She had nothing but hate for him then, but her eyes now shone with new emotion. Behind that fire was doubt and fear and hope.

"Are you Anakin Skywalker?"

"Yes."

For so long he had denied any connection to that name. He had let people call him Anakin the last year and slowly became used to the name, and his identity, again. Gone was the Sith, and returned was the man known as Anakin, not the Jedi, but a new man, a father to Luke and Leia, the man he was perhaps meant to be had he not been stifled by the Jed or corrupted by the dark side.

Leia held her hard stare for a few more long seconds and a few other emotions passed over her eyes and then her face softened and her lips twitched up in a small smile. "Then will you stand with me? At the altar?"

He would have stopped breathing if he could. He didn't think Leia even wanted him at her wedding, none the less stand beside her as someone important to her.

"Are you certain that is what you want?"

"Yes," she kept her eyes steady on his, "I want my family...and you are my father."

It was the first time she had acknowledged it to his face and he felt an overwhelming weight leave his shoulders.

"Will you stand with me?" She asked again.

It was another step in the right direction. His eyes must have betrayed him, showing the emotion that was coursing through him from his daughter's long awaited acceptance of him on one of the most important days of her life.

"It would be my pleasure, Leia." His voice was soft and raspy.

The barest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips and then she nodded, sharp and curt, like the diplomat she was, like her mother before her. "It's settled then. I will see you out there."

She turned away from him and returned to the mirror, once more studying her reflection for any last minute touches.

The change in her was so abrupt he was left standing there for a minute, his mind reeling as it tried to process all that had happened.

His daughter _wanted_ him. It was a day he thought would never come.

He didn't want to press his luck by talking again but he had to know.

"Leia…" The call of her name recaught her attention. "What made you change your mind?"

Her lips curled at the corners and she ducked her head and he was struck by the familiarity of the action. He always thought Luke had Padmé's smile but he could see her in Leia as well.

"I've been watching you trying to acclimate yourself here in our lives." She said after a few moments of silence. "For a long time I was angry, and honestly I still am, and probably always will be. It's not something I can easily let go of but ultimately I've realized that Luke was right." She lifted her head and turned around, giving him a smile that warmed his heart.

"There is still good in you."

* * *

Han was not surprised when he walked up with Luke but eyed him with wary suspicion and contempt. Leia must have warned him of her plan and he was not about to argue with his bride on their wedding day even if he did disagree with her.

Chewbacca stood on the other side of Han and glared him down, like a big furry protector.

Luke engaged him in light conversation to distract him from the stares as the other guests filed in. It was the most attention he'd had on him since his rescue and he could feel the discomfort in the air as people cautiously eyed and whispered about him.

Ahsoka took a seat near the front of the crowd and managed to catch his eye. The on her face and Luke's presence at his side reminded him it was about Leia and she wanted him there and nothing else mattered.

There was a sudden hush among the crowd and a smile blossoming on both Luke and Han's face meant Leia had arrived.

He turned around and his heart jumped and for a moment he was taken back in time.

To Naboo, to twenty seven years ago, to a beautiful young bride who smiled at him and vowed her love and life to him.

He wished she were here to witness this, to stand beside him and Luke, smiling in joy as their daughter married, celebrating her love and marriage as they were never able to.

For a second, angry tears stung his eyes but he forced them back.

It was devastating that Padmé was not there but he would make certain that Leia had everything he could not.

"She's beautiful, huh?" He heard Luke's quiet voice whisper behind him.

"She sure is." came Han's awed voice.

All three men were mesmerized by the young woman walking gracefully towards them.

Leia approached the altar and first met Han's eyes and their faces lit up in equally bright smiles, eyes shining with love.

Before taking the final turn towards her soon to be husband, she first turned to Luke standing directly to her left. He wore a smile equally as bright and she reached out to squeeze his hand. Their hands lingered together for a long moment and then Leia dropped his hand.

Her gaze moved to him and her eyes crinkled at the corners, her smile widening just that bit more and she reached her hands towards him.

He glanced down in surprise at the action but slowly lifted his gloved hand to meet hers. Her smaller hand slid into his and his fingers gently curled around her hand.

A familiar feeling passed through him and Leia gasped quietly at the same time. She must have felt it too, the force connecting them. It was the first time Leia had purposefully touched him, a small but powerful act of acceptance. His thumb brushed affectionately over the back of her hand and he wished more than anything he could feel her.

His heart was pounding and he dared to act on the thought running through his head.

Leia's eyes widened as he lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a feather light kiss to the back of her hand.

Her breath caught and time seemed to stand still for those few brief seconds father and daughter touched for the first time.

The moment was over as soon as it began as Leia withdrew her hand and slowly released her breath.

Her jaw tightened and she held his gaze for a moment more. Her eyes flashed with an emotion he had never seen directed at him. She blinked quickly and swallowed over the lump in her throat as she finally turned away from him and back to Han.

Han's brow furrowed, his eyes filled with concern and he shot a flickering glance to Anakin.

A shaky smile crossed her lips as she then took his hand and gave a quick, reassuring shake of her head.

Anakin couldn't keep his eyes off of her but out of the corner of his eye, he caught Luke's bright smile.

His son nudged him gently with his elbow and his eyes pricked with tears.

Their challenges certainly were far from over but for the first time he felt truly accepted as part of Leia's life as her father.

Finally his family was complete. Not perfect but together at last.

* * *

The reception was held in the same area as the ceremony. Chairs and tables were rearranged in a circle that left a small clearing in the middle for dancing and celebration.

The food, a combination of Leia and Han's favorite dishes, was laid out buffet style for people to eat when they chose.

Han and Leia shared a few dances together but as the music picked up, Luke walked over and stole his sister away from her new husband.

Leia looked completely at ease as she danced with Luke, as if they had always known each other and grew up together.

The walls he had often seen around her were gone, her body relaxed, a radiant smile on her face and she laughed as Luke tried to dance with her.

Where his son was swift and smooth in a fight and holding a lightsaber, it didn't translate well to dancing.

He was so enraptured by the sight of his children so blissfully happy that he failed to notice a presence had walked up beside him.

"So," Han's voice startled him but he turned to his new son-in-law with a pensive frown.

Han had his arms crossed and looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Does this mean I have to call you Dad?" His eyes danced with faint amusement and his voice dripped in sarcasm.

Had he met Solo when he was a young Jedi he might have liked him. He could certainly see why Leia and Luke became so close with him.

Anakin only grunted and looked back at his children. "I would highly prefer that you didn't."

"Good," Han nodded, "so we agree on something."

"I think we agree on something else too, Solo. My daughter's happiness." His lips twitched at the corners as Leia's face lit up in delight as Luke attempted, and failed at, a dance move.

Han rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't start with the overprotective father speech."

Han's sharp words brought his attention back to him. Han met his eyes seriously and had taken a closer step towards him.

"Leia has struggled with accepting you into her life and I'm still not a fan of it, or you, but it was her decision and you are her father. So I think, as her husband, it's now my duty to warn you not to hurt her. I stood by her while you were still terrorizing the galaxy." Han poked himself in the chest, tapping on his heart. "I never hurt her...sure we argue but that's just what we do. We love each other and I would never do anything to intentionally harm her. I do not trust you to do the same. So I am just here to tell you that if you hurt her, I will gladly sit by and watch as she takes you down, but I pray she doesn't have to lose another father."

He had known of Han's love for Leia but that little speech had proved his devotion once and for all. He had a sudden respect for him that he hadn't had before. "Well said, Solo. I am impressed. Ordinarily I would take those words as a threat."

"You don't?" Han narrowed his eyes inquisitively.

"No I don't because contrary to your belief, I am human, I do have a heart and one that, not so long ago, loved a woman as much as you clearly love Leia. I also pray you take better care of my daughter than I took care of my wife."

His words clearly stunned his new son-in-law into silence. He barely had spoken to Solo in the year since his rescue and clearly, the man still saw him as the heartless Sith Lord who encased him in carbonite and nearly destroyed the galaxy. Which was a very fair assessment. He hadn't cared about Han's forgiveness, or opinion, but he did care about Leia's and if Leia cared about Han he at least had to try to win over her husband.

"I do not take for granted my place in my daughter's life. Leia's heart and trust is hard won….much like my own. You may not believe me but she had my heart before she was ever born and I regret every choice I made that led me away from knowing her and letting her know how much I loved her."

Han stared at him, wide-eyed, his lips parted in stunned silence. "Well…" he cleared his throat and crossed his arms again. "..alright then. Good, I'm glad that's settled."

"Yes."

They fell into an extremely awkward silence that was only broken as the twins' simultaneous laughter carried over the crowd and a smile softened both of their faces. Luke had attempted to twirl his sister, which ended in her tripping over his feet and landing in his arms before she hit the ground.

Han gave him a sideways glance. "So what do I call you? Just realizing now this is the longest conversation we've ever had and since we are family now I guess I need to call you something."

He pursed his lips slightly. "Anakin will do just fine."

"Anakin…" Han nodded slowly and then he groaned and turned to face him fully and held out his hand. "A sign of faith."

Anakin looked back at him.

"Luke and Leia believe in you," He shrugged in way of explanation, "and I trust them with my life and my heart, clearly. So I want to believe in you too."

He stared at the outstretched hand for a long moment of silence.

It was strange, how far they had come in a year. He never could have dreamed in a million years that his life could have been this.

He had felt hopeless and lost, buried in anguish and guilt but the love and forgiveness and second chances had brought him back to life, in more ways than one.

He reached out and shook his son-in-law's hand. "A sign of faith," he echoed, "Han."

Han's lips twitched in a half smile and then dropped his hand.

When they looked back Luke and Leia were now approaching them, each carrying two slices of the wedding cake.

Leia handed one to her husband with a small, inquisitive smile.

"I hope you two are behaving over here."

Han broke into a true smile, his eyes glinting. "Always."

Leia rolled her eyes and Luke handed his extra plate of cake to his father.

Han raised his brow at the exchange. "Can you even eat that?"

The twins shot him equally snide looks.

"Han." Leia hissed quietly in reprimand.

"It's an honest question!" Han lifted his shoulders in defense. "I've never seen him eat anything, have you?"

"It's quite alright, Leia." Anakin spoke up seeing the look on her face. "Your husband is correct, I cannot eat in the traditional sense. However, I have found there are other ways to enjoy baked desserts."

All three looked back at him inquisitively.

There was a brief silence as he raised his free hand and then he flicked his wrist.

As soon as he did so, the plate in Han's hands flew upward, sending the delicately frosted cake into his face.

Leia gasped, her hand covering her mouth. Luke stared agape as Han removed the plate slowly from his face and then the younger Skywalker burst into laughter at the white frosting smeared across his new brother-in-law's face.

Leia stifled her giggles behind her hand, her eyes turned up in amusement but the longer she stared at Han, the harder it became to resist and eventually she joined her brother in laughter as Han wiped the frosting off his eyes.

The small humiliation of Han and his children's laughter left Anakin with amused self satisfaction.

"Oh, you think it's funny do you?" Han narrowed his eyes and he slowly approached Leia and she took a cautious step back.

"Han…" she tried to warn him but couldn't keep the laughter out of her voice.

She let out a small screech of laughter as Han suddenly crossed the distance between them, gently grabbed her around the waist and planted his messy cheek firmly to hers.

She playfully shoved at his chest, a grin split across her face, laughter pouring from her lips as he nuzzled her face with his own

Luke was in hysterics behind them and then without warning, Han released Leia and turned toward her brother, grabbed the plate out of his hand and shoved it into his face, effectively silencing him.

Leia only laughed harder, her arms wrapping around her stomach and Han grinned smugly.

"Hey!" Luke spluttered as he removed the plate from his face and wiped at his eyes. "I'm not the one who caked you!"

"Yeah well, it's my wedding day, I don't particularly feel like dying today by upsetting Papa Skywalker. You'll have to do instead."

Luke narrowed his eyes and continued to wipe at his face.

There was a weird stirring in Anakin's chest at the affectionate, if sarcastic nickname from Han.

 _Papa Skywalker._

At times he felt as young as he had when he was a Jedi, and others he felt like he'd lived a hundred years.

That one name was a reminder of all the time that had passed but gave hope to moments that were yet to come as Luke and Leia's father.

Another familiar face approached the group, laughing quietly as she caught sight of the mess.

"What happened here?" Ahsoka asked, looking between all the caked up faces. "Who started it? Luke?"

Luke threw his arms up in exasperation. "Why am I always blamed?"

Han snorted and Luke shot him a look.

"It wasn't me." He sent a pointed look in his father's direction.

Ahsoka turned toward Anakin, the only one in the group with a clean face, and a mischievous smirk on his mouth. "Anakin," she shook her head with a laugh, "I should have known."

He shrugged. "Some things never change, eh Snips?"

She smirked. "If all you're doing is starting food fights I'd say that's an improvement of character."

Her blue eyes danced in amusement and from anyone else those words would have brought a scathing bite of guilt. Ahsoka was the only one alive who knew who he had been before Vader, the only one who knew him well enough to know how to joke with him.

"Funny."

She laughed again and shook her head and turned to Luke and Leia.

"Your father was quite the trouble maker."

"Him? You're kidding me." Han remarked dryly and received another scathing look from his wife.

"The good kind of trouble." Ahsoka assured him with a smirk.

"Not to the Jedi."

"Yeah, well, you never belonged with them, Anakin."

He only wished he had realized that before it was too late.

He caught Leia watching him, a peculiar look in her eyes. It was as if she was seeing him for the first time and he realized that she was. She was seeing him not as Darth Vader but as Anakin, as her father.

Their eyes met and her lips curled in a small but soft smile.

He returned a smile back to her, mostly because what he had longed for the last year was finally coming true - his daughter was giving him a chance.

But it was also in part due to the fact that his daughter was quite the amusing sight, her face smeared with frosting.

"Leia," he began seriously and she raised her brow, "I do believe you have something on your face."

Her eyes narrowed playfully and Luke started laughing again.

"And we can't have that on her wedding day." Ahsoka said with a laugh and she walked over to stand beside Leia. "Come on, i'll help you clean up."

Leia turned a warm, grateful smile to her. "Thank you, Ahsoka."

"You boys behave yourselves…" Ahsoka threw a warning glance over both Han and Luke but then snapped a sharp look to him, "...Anakin."

He smirked. "Oh I've had my fun, you don't need to worry about me."

"I always worry about you."

Her eyes softened and they shared a meaningful glance.

He waved them off with a slow wave of his hand. "I shall behave."

"I've heard that before." Ahsoka laughed.

"Look who's talking, Snips."

Ahsoka only shot back a small grin, a hint of a gleam in her eyes.

"Excuse me, who exactly are the more senior adults here?" Leia asked, her voice tinged with amusement.

"Leia," Ahsoka gently wrapped her arm around the younger woman, "If there's one thing you need to know about your father is his very _unique_ sense of humor."

"And that the Jedi's big mistake was making her my padawan because she only encouraged it."

Ahsoka laughed quietly. "We certainly gave the poor council something to groan about and gave Master Kenobi a few gray hairs."

His smile faded at the thought of Obi-Wan and he could see the same thought almost immediately cross her face.

Just as soon after Luke's face softened into a solemn frown, followed by Leia and then Han as they each remembered their fallen friend.

Ahsoka cleared her throat, breaking any tension that was beginning to fall over the previously happy group.

"Anyway, Anakin and I were so alike that putting us together probably wasn't the greatest idea the Jedi ever had but it did make us good friends."

Luke's face slowly lifted and then so did Leia's. The two could be so different at times but there was no mistaking the sync they had as twins.

He felt the dark cloud that had started to settle around him lift and his lips turned up in a small smile.

"That it did."

"That must be where Leia gets it from." Luke said and she turned a look on him and he gave her a well meaning smile. "That sharp, biting humor." He shrugged. "You are like him in that way."

Leia's eyes narrowed and he felt his chest tighten as he waited for her response. She hummed, her face softening again. "I guess I am." Leia mused quietly with a light shrug. "Like father like daughter...as they say."

Leia was continuing to surprise him that day. Her consistent acceptance of him as her father certainly gave him hope that their relationship would only continue to grow toward the positive.

His eyes drifted from Leia to Ahsoka who gave him a knowing, almost smug smile. It would have annoyed him had he not been so incredibly grateful that she was right. She winked and then turned to Leia, "Let's get you inside before that stains your dress."

"I don't see anyone caring about the stains on our clothes." said Han, who definitely received the worst hit with bits of frosting over his face, neck and splattered across his chest.

Ahsoka turned her head with a small smirk. "Do _you_ care about the stains on your clothes?"

"This happens to be my best vest."

"Yes," Leia laughed quietly, a knowing twinkle in her eyes, "that I bought you for our wedding specifically because you didn't have anything nicer."

"I never said it was my favorite." He shrugged.

"And after today I'm sure you'll never wear it again."

They shared a smile that only newlyweds could share. "And that's why she's my wife. She knows me so well."

"If anyone cares I _do_ care about my clothes." Luke said, frowning down at the few spatterings of white on his shirt.

"Planning on training a lot in your fancy clothes do you?" Ahsoka asked in amusement and his lips pursed as he looked back up at her.

" _No."_ He stressed. "But it's nice to have something to wear to these such occasions. Leia, you remember what I wore to that ceremony after the destruction of the death star? There you were dressed like the princess you are and I… "

Leia stifled a laugh. "Yes, that yellow jacket. Your fashion sense does need a little work, Luke."

"It's all I could find at such short notice." He defended.

"It was blinding." Leia told Ahsoka and they shared a laugh.

Luke shook his head but a small smile crossed his lips. "Go ahead, laugh at my expense."

Anakin felt an odd mixture of joy, wistful longing and regret listening to his family reminisce on memories they shared together, knowing at that time he had still been lost. He didn't mind hearing that it was his defeat they were celebrating, he minded that it was because of him they had an enemy to defeat at all. He minded he hadn't been there to fight alongside them instead against them.

Luke sighed. "I knew I was getting a brother today, I didn't realize I also had another sister."

"Ah, I'm more of a wise old Aunt, right Skyguy?" Ahsoka turned an amused look to him.

Ahsoka's presence was a reminder that although he had missed much, there was still hope for new memories to be made with a new family just beginning.

He grunted and nodded, a smirk pulling at his lips. "Yes, she was my annoying little sister first, complete with an equally annoying nickname."

Ahsoka grinned. "Oh you loved it."

"Skyguy, huh?" Han mused and looked at Luke, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Don't even think about it, Han."

"Besides," Ahsoka chimed in, "there may be more than one Skywalker but Anakin's the only Skyguy."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't you have someplace else to be, _Snips?_ I believe Leia is patiently waiting."

"I'm rather enjoying this conversation, actually." Leia said, her smile lighting her face.

"Your father is right. We should get you cleaned up but don't you boys worry we'll be back in no time."

Ahsoka and Leia looked at one another and shared a smile and then Ahsoka nodded her head towards the base.

He watched his best friend escort his daughter away from the party, their arms wrapped around each other, their laughter fading with them.

"Personally, I think it's a good look for you, Luke." Han said teasingly.

"You think? I think it's _you_ who makes the look."

Beside him, Luke and Han started poking at each other with frosted fingertips, grinning like brothers.

He still felt a little amiss amongst such simple domesticity, it was one part of life he had never come to know. As close as he had come with Padmé, their stolen moments hardly counted and were vastly different to...this.

Yet he preferred it to anything else. It gave him a feeling of warmth he had never really experienced before. Even his marriage to Padmé was tainted by fear and secrets.

With his son, best friend and now daughter's acceptance, nothing held him back except the darkness of his past that never would truly escape him.

There were so many unknowns that lay in the future ahead but he knew one thing for certain - he'd been brought back to life and not just physically.

His life as Anakin had started anew and he swore, no matter the cost, he was not going to waste it again.

* * *

 ** _And that is the end!_**

 ** _I would like to thank you all for reading my first full and complete Star Wars story and giving such wonderful feedback! I appreciate it so much!_**

 ** _This may be the end of this particular story but I do plan on continuing this into a series that will probably be various one shots as Anakin continues to grow back into his family's lives. It will feature all characters seen in this story, plus more as it dives deeper into their future. I have big plans for our favorite little (big?) Disaster Skywalker._**

 ** _I hope you all will check it out! The first part should be coming out rather soon!_**

 ** _And if you like prequel Anakin, I have another AU series where Anakin and Padmé get to raise Luke and Leia it's called A New Life._**

 ** _Thank you all again so much and please let me know what you thought!_**


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